Remember Me
by turntoPaige394
Summary: Sen is just a normal college student with huge holes in her childhood memories & a weird relationship to water. In an attempt to get some answers, she comes across a talking frog who promises her a witch named Yubaba can help. But even when Sen does remember, she still doesn't recognize Haku. Can she fight Yubaba & remember Haku before something precious is stolen from her forever?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Spirited Away or any of its amazing characters. Now please, enjoy. ^.^**

**...**

_There she was, completely surrounded by turquoise water. She could feel the sun's warm rays penetrating the surface and finding her face beneath the waves like it always did. Under normal circumstances, one would drown only minutes after being submerged under water like this._

_ But not her, and certainly not here._

_ She sighed contentedly, little bubbles escaping her lips and floating to the surface. She had been suspended peacefully within this river for hours now, letting the current gently move her wherever it wished. How many times had she come here? How many more would it allow her? Surely this river would not permit someone to lounge around inside of it without demanding something in return. Surely this river would someday demand the very oxygen from her lungs as payment._

_ But it demanded nothing so far, so she kept coming._

_ Her chocolaty brown hair billowed angelically around her face as she took in deep breath after deep breath, inhaling not water, but cool, crisp springtime air. She wasn't quite sure why she never got lungfuls of river water, but as long as the river allowed her to breathe, the method didn't really matter. After all, this was _her_ place, the one place she could come and feel whole._

_ "I've missed you," the river around her whispered._

_ At first, she had been shocked when the river spoke to her; she had even convinced herself that it had all been in her imagination. But every time since the first time she submerged herself, the river spoke to her, its first phrase always being the same: "I've missed you." The first time she heard the river say this, she didn't know how to respond. Before this particular river, she had never been fond of water. However, the more she visited this sacred place, the more she grew to miss it when she was away. Finally, there came a day when the river whispered, "I've missed you" and she was able to reply. Now, her reply to the river's first phrase was always the same._

_ "I never should have left," she smirked as the river swirled around her limbs as it always did when she answered that way._

_ Sometimes the river spoke to her often, asking her about her days and regaling her with tales of what it had been doing while she was away. Other times it was completely silent after it welcomed her with its inaugural "I've missed you". Either way she was happy; just being with the river was enough for her… most of the time._

_ "Do you think it will always be like this?" She asked, a hint of sadness coloring her voice. "Will we only ever have these brief moments?"_

_ The river became calm again, but said nothing._

_ She closed her eyes, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach, "I thought so."_

_ For the briefest of moments, she felt gentle fingers caress her cheek in comfort. As soon as she opened her eyes, they were gone._

_ "I do not have an answer," the river replied sorrowfully. "This is the closest I can get to you for now."_

_ Unwilling to let the uncertainty of the future ruin her all-too rare visits to the river, she smiled and began to swim with her face towards the sun, "I would rather have this than nothing at all."_

_..._

"Oh!" Sen gasped as she abruptly shot up in her bed, clutching at her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart. She pushed the intrusive brown bangs out of her eyes and looked around the small, messy apartment she called home. There were textbooks open on the floor, clothes crumpled in piles, a laptop half open next to some homework. Like usual, everything was completely normal.

Everything except her.

She fell back onto her pillow, right hand still held above her heart. Most nights were completely ordinary with completely ordinary dreams; but on the nights when she dreamt about the river she had never been to, she always woke up in a panic. It was like her brain was trying to protect her from something, though she could never imagine what. The river dreams were the ones she both yearned for and dreaded at the same time. It was impossible to brush aside the pure ecstasy she harbored after those dreams, but it was also impossible to brush aside the loneliness and the pain they brought as well. Sen had never been to the river she dreamt about; she didn't even like the water that much. But night after night, she found herself hoping to have that dream because she found herself missing that river during the day. Of course, missing something she had never seen made no sense so Sen actively suppressed any thoughts of the river as much as she could. But every so often, the river would come to her in her dreams and make her miss things she never had; things that she didn't have names for.

"Please," she softly begged the ceiling. "Please let me sleep. I can't handle these weird dreams anymore."

There was no reply, only silence surrounding her in the moon-lit apartment.

Sen let out a frustrated sigh as she ripped the sparkling purple hair-band from the back of her head where it held her long brown hair in a ponytail. Just as she was about to toss it carelessly onto the floor next to her bed, Sen took one more look at the purple band. Without knowing why, she placed the hair-band gently onto her bedside table next to a small picture she had drawn. Sen pulled the blankets up to her neck and looked at the picture, knowing eventually she would have more dreams about that, too.

"I can't keep doing this," she muttered to herself sleepily. "I have to lay off the reading, exams are coming up."

As she drifted off to sleep, calculating what she needed to get on her upcoming exams to pass her classes with a decent grade, the hand-drawn picture of a black figure with no face watched over her hair band. The white noh-mask's vacant expression was the only thing in the apartment illuminated by the light of the moon, the name _Chihiro Ogino_ scrawled delicately at the bottom of the picture in Sen's handwriting.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello, earth to Sen!"

Sen quickly snapped out of her daydream about the river as she felt her friend shaking her shoulder, "Huh? What?"

The short, bubbly girl in front of her bounced up and down with excitement, "Didn't you hear what the professor said? Exams are postponed a whole week!"

"That's great! I could really use the extra time," relief flooded Sen's whole body. With all the strange river dreams she'd been having, she was almost always too exhausted to study. Not that she really minded all that much, considering how much she hated her major.

"Do you maybe want to go out tonight? There's a new bar down the street from my apartment that everyone's talking about."

Sen hesitated, feeling something nagging at the back of her mind. Immediately feeling silly for thinking such a thing, she shook it off as lack of sleep. Still, she couldn't bring herself to go out with her friend, "No, I don't think so Aya. I really should make an effort to get caught up on my homework tonight."

Aya frowned, tousling her short black hair in what Sen recognized as annoyance, "You never want to go out. It's like you're not interested in having a social life or something."

Sen said nothing because it was true; she had no desire to have a social life with anyone she knew. Ever since she was 10 year old, she had much desired the company of books or just herself as opposed to that of other people. It was strange because she had not always been that way. Before she was 10, Sen enjoyed having a lot of friends and being social with the other children. But after her 10th birthday, her father's company promoted him and gave him a pay raise, which naturally meant that her family would be moving to a nicer home closer to his job. The actual move was just a big blank memory for her; she could not remember a single thing even though she remembered events before it. Her parents chalked her amnesia up to being stressed and unhappy about the move, but Sen always felt like there was something more buried in the depths of her mind. As if her lack of memories were not weird enough, Sen had awoken the day after her family moved with the purple hair-band she now held so dear in her hair with no memory of where she got it.

Not only did she wake up with a new, unbreakable hair-band, but suddenly her name didn't seem to fit her anymore, either.

_Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz._

"Sorry Aya, that's my phone buzzing," Sen reached into her bag for her phone and saw that it was her parents calling. "I gotta take this. I'll see you on Monday."

Aya was still clearly disappointed but she simply waved and left.

"Hey dad," she answered the phone. "You have good timing, I'm just leaving class."

"And how was class today, Chihiro?" Her father replied, undoubtedly smiling as he always was.

"Ugh, dad please don't call me that. You know I don't like it."

She could hear him sigh on the other end, "Sorry, sorry. How was class today, Sen?"

"Oh, it was fine," she said. "Same old, same old. Math doesn't really change that much."

He chuckled, "No I suppose it doesn't. Oh, your mother says hello. She's making dinner."

"Be sure to tell her I love her."

"I will."

There was a long moment of awkwardness, but it was normal for them now. That was another new development since her family moved when she was 10; she no longer felt like she connected with them on any level. Quite frankly, she didn't feel like she connected with anyone.

"Hey dad, I have a quick question before I have to go. It's just something I've been wondering," she was pulling out her car keys now and she didn't like to talk on her phone while driving.

"Sure, Chihi—I mean, Sen. What is it?"

She paused for a brief moment, "Did anything ever happen to me when I was little… with water?"

"What do you mean?"

Sen bit her lip in embarrassment, realizing how silly this all must sound to someone else, "I've just been having a lot of dreams lately about water. A river, I think. It's nothing bad or scary… I actually seem to enjoy being there. I was just wondering about my experiences with water when I was little because you know I don't really like water now except for this dream."

Now her father was the one to pause, "I think I remember we took a trip to a river and you fell in. About gave your mother and I a heart attack! We couldn't find you for what seemed like forever but then we turned around and you were just sitting on the bank of the river, soaked to the bone. You weren't upset or scared though, you were smiling. You said the river helped you come back," he chuckled for a moment. "Oh, to have the imagination of a child again."

Once again, something was tugging at the edges of her mind. Why couldn't she remember this? And if she had been happy even after falling in the river, why did she dislike water now? "Do you remember the name of the river, dad? I think I want to go see it."

"Hmmm… I know it started with a K. It was something like Kamako, or Kohama… Ah, let me ask your mother."

There was a brief moment of muttering in the background before she heard her mother come on the line, "Hi, sweetheart. You know, that river we went to is covered by apartments now about an hour from your apartment. Are you sure you want to drive that far? I'm not even sure there is any water left there."

Sen thought for a moment, tugging her ponytail anxiously. Something was compelling her to know more about this river, and if her experience as a kid with this river made her hate water yet yearn for it at the same time, she wanted to know why. "Yeah mom, I think I want to just go there. Even if the river isn't there anymore, I think it would help me get over this weird aversion I have to water. Do you know the name of it?"

She could hear her mother flipping through something quickly, "Ah, here we go. I found a picture of you from that trip. Let's see here… oh, that's right! It was called the Kohaku river."

At that very moment, Sen's whole body went rigid and she heard the voice of the river from her dream whisper in her ear:

_"I've missed you."_


	3. Chapter 3

Sen had driven home in a daze. She couldn't help but keep turning that name over and over in her mind.

_Kohaku. Kohaku. Kohaku._

Something about that name made her heart ache and her eyes well with tears. Frustrated, Sen angrily wiped the moisture from her dark brown eyes and set her mouth in a deep frown. Why did she know that name? Why did it make her sad to hear it spoken? All of these vaguely familiar things tugging at the edges of her mind were really starting to get on her nerves. Not to mention that the big holes in her childhood memories were starting to concern her as well.

For what seemed like the millionth time, she sighed, slumping down in her seat and resting her forehead against the steering wheel. Why did she have to dredge up all these things from her past now? She was only a year away from graduating… although she wasn't terribly thrilled about it. Come to think of it, she wasn't terribly thrilled about anything anymore. For so long, her life seemed to be completely black and white without any splashes of color. Sen certainly wasn't depressed, but there was definitely something missing. The only things that really brought her contentment anymore was drawing the strange creatures that she saw in her dreams: a black figure with a noh-mask for a face, an extremely old woman with a large bird-like nose and countless wrinkles, an average-looking brunette woman in her late twenties, a boy with turquoise hair…

She drew countless pictures of the boy with blue-green hair.

And she was sick of it.

Sen glanced at the clock gleaming in her dashboard. It was only 6:00 and it wouldn't get dark until at least 9 or 9:30 since it was the beginning of summer. If she left now, she could get to the place where the Kohaku River used to be and have some time to look around before the sun went down. Maybe then she would finally find some answers. She eagerly started her car and googled the directions to her destination; she wanted to leave before she too much about this trip, because she knew without a doubt that she would change her mind if she did.

Stomping on the gas pedal, Sen weaved in and out of traffic, relying solely on her phone's navigation and praying it was accurate. The whole drive, her mind and heart were racing frantically. Would she find anything at this place? What exactly was she looking for? What did she expect to happen? Despite not having any answers to her own questions, she kept driving, determined to get _something_ out of this endeavor.

_"Destination on the left in 500 feet," _her phone chimed robotically, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Sen felt her heart hammer painfully inside her chest; this was it, the moment she had long anticipated. She turned into the small apartment complex but as she drove further into the property, found herself a bit surprised. The place was completely ordinary, with only three small, two story buildings paneled in a plain beige with blue trim. Large Momiji and Matsu trees immediately surrounded the buildings like a wall of greenery, giving the place an overall calmness. She parked in an empty space as far from the actual buildings as she could and then clutched her steering wheel tightly, taking deep breaths to keep herself from slipping into a panic attack.

"I shouldn't feel like this," she chided herself. "I don't even remember this place."

After a few more deep breaths, Sen finally mustered the courage to get out of her car. For a long time, all she did was look around. It was hard to believe that the concrete she was standing on was once a large river that affected her life so deeply. She knelt down and touched her fingers to the warm pavement; it was a silly gesture, but she felt compelled to be closer to the water she hoped was flowing beneath the concrete.

Suddenly, the wind whipped around her violently, causing her hair to thrash around her face in all directions. She thought it was odd because the wind had been calm all day, but she decided to ignore it; it was probably just her overactive imagination at work again. Once the wind died down, Sen could hear the faint sounds of rushing water in the distance. Unable to stop herself, she started running towards it. Only seconds after pushing through the brush that was at the base of the Momiji and Matsu trees, she found herself at the bank of a very small stream that was narrow enough to be crossed by foot.

This was all that was left of the great Kohaku River.

Sen sat on the bank next to the stream and stared at it for a long time. When the sun penetrated the tops of the trees and glinted off the surface of the water, it looked almost turquoise… just like the water in her dreams. Still feeling compelled by something she didn't understand, Sen slipped off her sandals and submerged her feet in the warm, shallow water.

...

The frog spirit observed from the shadowy brush across the stream from her; watching, waiting. When she first approached the water, she was clearly hesitant and something about her face was wrong. That's why at first he wasn't even sure this was the right girl. But the very moment her skin touched the water it was like her entire demeanor changed; her face lit up and she let out a huge sigh of relief. She even immersed her hands in the water and splashed some on her bare legs. When she smiled at the stream, he knew.

Sen.

It had been 13 years and she'd certainly aged, something spirits were seldom familiar with. That was why it took him so long to find her and properly identify her; she was no longer the scrawny child that had accidentally stumbled upon their world one day with her parents. She was taller now, still scrawny but built with a little more muscle tone, and her dark mahogany ponytail was now to the middle of her back. He may not have known it was her if it weren't for her uncannily similar outfit to the one she had worn 13 years ago. She sat on the bank in small pink shorts and a white and green striped t-shirt. Even her sandals were yellow, exactly as her shoes had been the day she arrived.

Aogaeru had come to this place often over the last 13 years, waiting for the day when Sen would undoubtedly return. After all, the memory spell wouldn't last forever and sooner or later she would start to get curious about the pieces she began to remember. Luckily for him, that day had finally come.

The frog smoothed his blue jinbei shirt and tightened the sash keeping the shirt closed. Sen clearly hadn't remembered everything yet, which was all the better for him. If he could just find a way to somehow lure her back to the Spirit Gate before it closed again, he would become a very rich spirit indeed. Sure, Sen would probably never be allowed to leave but that wasn't his problem. The only thing in his sights was the large bag of gold pieces that had been dangled in front of him 13 years ago. That, and the fact that he would most likely be skinned if he failed to bring her back.

As the sun began to set, Sen started to look around as though she knew she should leave. This was his chance. She began to reach for her bright yellow sandals when Aogaeru hopped from his hiding place onto the bank directly across from Sen. She looked up, her facial expression conveying that she was confused as to why a frog was wearing a shirt. The frog spirit stood up, surveying her for a moment before his nasally voice addressed her.

"Hello, Sen. It's been a long time."

And she fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: The flashback scene written in italics is word for word from the American version of the movie Spirited Away. I do not own it and I did not come up with it, I only thought it was necessary as Chihiro (or Sen) begins to recover more of her memories. That scene is alllllll Hayao Miyazaki's. :)**

When she finally came to, Sen opened her eyes to see a small green frog staring down at her surrounded by the warm colors of dusk. She was desperately trying to remember what happened, but before she could put the pieces together, the frog spoke again.

"Are you alright?"

"Gahh!" Sen shouted, jumping up and shoving herself away from the talking frog. Now she remembered why she fainted.

"Please, Sen. Calm down," The frog said. "Don't you remember me?"

She furrowed her brow as she pulled her legs into her chest, "I think I would remember a _talking frog _wearing a jinbei shirt."

He laughed a high-pitched, nasally laugh as he hopped closer to her, "I can't say I'm surprised. After all, you haven't seen me for 13 years. And even then we only met a few times."

"13…" Sen calculated. "You're saying I met you when I was 10? But how can that be? I don't remember… much from when I was that age."

"And didn't you ever think that was strange? That you had memories before you were 10 and after, but not so much in between? Didn't you wonder where it all went?" The frog titled his head as he questioned her. "Didn't you ever want to know why?"

Sen felt those elusive things tugging at the edges of her consciousness again. She _did_ wonder all those things and she desperately wanted to know why she lost such a large portion of her memories. She wanted it all.

But something about this frog was setting alarm bells off in her head.

"Who are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

The frog stood and bowed majestically, "I am Aogaeru, servant of the Bath House of the Spirits."

"S… spirits?" She repeated. "Like ghosts?"

He shook his head, "No, no. Spirits are just… well, the beings of the Spirit world; much like humans are the beings of this world. There are good one and bad ones as well, just like humans. And we servants of the Bath House make it our job to replenish the spirits who are weary or weak."

Sen took this all in, "Okay… so let's say I believe you. How did we meet then?"

Aogaeru shook his head again, "Ah, Sen I'm sure you are full of questions, but I'm not allowed to answer them." At the disappointment and sadness that crossed Sen's face, the frog added very quickly, "But I know someone who can."

Her head snapped up, "Really? Who?!"

A sinister expression flashed across the frog spirit's green face, "Yubaba, the witch who rules the Bath House."

Sen hesitated, frightened by the devilish look that overtook the small frog's face when he spoke the name of the woman who could help her.

As quickly as his face changed, it changed right back again. He smiled, "She is very powerful, so she might be able to lift whatever spell was put on you. Then you would have your memories back."

"Wait a second. You think someone put a spell on me to take away my memories?"

He shrugged, "Only Yubaba could say for sure. But if I had to guess, I would say so."

Sen's shoulders slumped, overwhelmed by all the new information she was getting, "I don't understand. Why would someone...? What did I ever…? How did they…?"

Aogaeru hopped over to her and put his hands on her knee, "I can take you to Yubaba. She is kind and generous, never turning down someone in need. She is the only spirit powerful enough to help you find the answers you're looking for."

Sen's sadness quickly turned to anger. Someone had taken away her memories. Someone _knew_ why she was the way she was now. Someone made her this way. And she definitely intended to find out who.

"Aogaeru, take me to Yubaba," she said with a firm determination. "If she's the only one who can help me, then I want to meet her."

He smiled wickedly, "She will be pleased to see you again."

...

High above the ground, among the green canopy that the Momiji and Matsu trees provided, flew a bird with the body of a crow and the head of an old woman. It glided slowly through the nighttime air as it followed Sen and Aogaeru. The bird circled lower, ensuring it didn't lose the two traveling companions as they walked through the forest. She had been following the two for miles now, growing more and more vigilant as they came closer to the Spirit Gate. Aogaeru had finally done his job.

The bird blinked twice, opening a channel through which her master could see into the human world. In this state, her eyes acted as her master's eyes.

"So, he finally found her," an old woman with a gravelly voice said in the bird's head as she looked down. "Perfect. I can't wait to see the look on Haku's face when she comes walking through our doors again."

The bird made a soft _cawing _sound, low enough that the two below her would not hear.

Her master paused, hearing the sound she made, "Do not toy with me, Yu-bird. I've waited for this for 13 years."

Yu-bird _cawed_ softly again.

Her master took a long drag on a cigarette, "No memories of this place, you say? Well, well that certainly is something new. Aogaeru had his suspicions about that."

Once again, she _cawed_.

There was a long chuckle, "No, no Yu-bird. The fact that little Chihiro doesn't remember anything of this place is all the better. I will crush Haku with this. I will manipulate that little brat's feeble mind until she hates Haku and it will tear him apart. And then, when I have taken everything from him, I will make _her_ my apprentice and she can do with Haku whatever she wishes. That will teach him to make a fool out of me in front of _my_ Bath House and to steal what is mine. She was my best worker, after all."

Yu-bird then felt the channel to her master close behind her eyes.

...

After walking through what seemed like miles of forest, Aogaeru finally stopped in front of a large tunnel. In the moonlight, Sen could see that the red paint was peeling and chipping away, and vines were growing up the sides. Directly in the middle of the entrance was a small, egg-shaped statue of a creature that was smiling at all who approached. There was not a sound other than the forest for miles.

"Beyond this tunnel is the Spirit world," the frog told her. "Are you ready?"

She took a deep breath, readying herself to answer him. But before she could, something deeply buried within the recesses of her mind flashed before her eyes.

_10 year-old Chihiro and her parents were standing in front of the red tunnel, her father admiring the peeling red paint boldly._

"_This building's not old, it's fake," he said, running his hands across the paint. "These stones are just made of plaster."_

_The wind howled through the tunnel and pushed at Chihiro's back as if to usher her inside._

"_The wind's pulling us in," she said._

"_What is it?" Her mother asked._

"_Come on, let's go in. I wanna see what's on the other side," her father suggested excitedly._

"_I'm not going," Chihiro whined. "It gives me the creeps."_

_He looked down at her, smiling, "Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Chihiro. Let's just take a look."_

_Her mother was unconvinced, "The movers will get to our house before we do."_

"_It's alright. They've got the keys. They can start without us."_

"…_Alright, just a quick look."_

_Chihiro clinged to her father's arm, "Forget it. I'm not going!" She darted back to the car. "Come on, you guys. Let's get out of here."_

_Her father smiled like he always did, "Come on honey. It'll be fun."_

"_I'm not going!" She shouted again._

"_Chihiro, just wait in the car then," her mother said. _

"_But mom!" Chihiro cried as her parents began walking down the tunnel. She stood there alone for a brief moment before changing her mind. "Wait for me!"_

_She held tightly to her mother's arm when her father turned to them, "Everybody watch your step."_

"_Chihiro, don't cling like that. You'll make me trip."_

_The three of them made their way down the tunnel until they came out into an old room filled with benches and water fountains._

"_What is this place?" Chihiro asked._

_Her mother put a hand to her ear as there was rumbling in the distance, "Oh, do you hear that?"_

"_It sounds like a train!" Her 10 year-old voice chimed._

"_We must be near a train station."_

_Her father began walking again, "Come on, let's go check it out."_

_When they emerged from the plaster building, they were at the edge of a beautiful rolling green meadow, with grass so high it almost covered the numerous egg-shaped statues that matched the one at the front of the tunnel. In the distance, they could see a cluster of buildings like a small town._

"_What are those weird buildings?" Chihiro asked._

"_I knew it. It's an abandoned theme park. See?" He gestured above them, towards the uppermost part of the building they had just come out of, which was topped with a large pagoda-like clock. "They built them everywhere in the early '90s. Then the economy went bad and they all went bankrupt. This must be one of them."_

_Her parents began to walk toward the cluster of buildings when Chihiro panicked again, "Where are you going? You said just a quick look! Now let's go back!" When they ignored her, she yelled again. "Hey!"_

_The wind whipped leaves at Chihiro's back, once again ushering her further into the meadow._

"Sen! Sen!" Something small was smacking her kneecap. "Sen! Are you alright?"

Sen blinked a few times before remembering where she was. She looked down to see the frog staring up at her in confusion. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, Aogaeru I just… I think I just had a memory from my first time here."

His eyes widened, almost enough to look concerned, "You did?"

She nodded, "I came through this tunnel with my parents. On the other side there's a large green meadow… and a cluster of buildings in the distance. …That's all I remembered, though."

He tugged on her ankle anxiously, "Well then, it looks like we brought you to the right place! Now let's get go before the Spirit Gate closes again. I wouldn't want you to miss your chance to see Yubaba!"

Sen's racing heart slowed itself as she followed Aogaeru through the red tunnel. Something about this place just felt right.

She was home.


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long, but we are finally back at the Bath House! Sen is getting more of her memories back all the time and Aogaeru is clearly worried. Will she remember those she was closest to when she sees them? Since she was 10, Sen drew hundreds of pictures of the boy with blue-green hair even though she couldn't remember who he was. I bet she'll be happy to meet the boy she's thought of for 13 years! Also, no she doesn't know who the river in her dreams is yet, but she loves it anyway. Oh, and if you guys ever have any questions, feel free to let me know. :)**

**...**

Sen followed Aogaeru down a short path that cut through the middle of the field, over a rock-filled dry river bed, up to a dirt path lined with odd looking restaurant stands that were completely lit and filled with shadowy black figures. They walked in silence for a long time as she was caught up in her thoughts. The frog hadn't been lying; she had most definitely been here before with her parents. Slowly but surely, bits and pieces of her memories were returning.

She looked down when she noticed her hand felt strange. Lifting it to her face, Sen could see right through it. "Uhm, Aogaeru…?"

The frog didn't look stop or look back, "We have to keep going. The Bath House is surely busy by now so Yubaba won't have a lot of time to talk to you, but if we get there soon we might get lucky."

Something else flashed in her mind. Something small, round, and red.

A berry?

"Aogaeru, I think… I think I need to eat something."

He was clearly getting frustrated, "There's plenty of food at the Bath House. You can eat when we get there. It's only a short distance from here; don't you see the stairs ahead?"

She noticed her legs were becoming transparent as well. This time, her voice was shaking, "I don't think I'll make it to the Bath House!"

Aogaeru let out a frustrated groan before finally turning around. When he saw that she was almost completely see-through, he gasped. "Ah! I completely forgot" He hopped to a nearby food stand and grabbed something grey. Before the spirit who ran the stand could yell at him, he hopped back to Sen. "Here, eat this."

Sen eyed the grey mass skeptically, but seeing as she didn't want to disappear, she forced herself to take it and pop it into her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock as she chewed; no wonder her parents hadn't been able to stop eating the spirit's food, it was the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted!

She froze at this thought, "…My parents ate the food at one of the stands. They turned into… pigs, I think?"

Aogaeru hopped up and down anxiously, "It seems like more and more of your memory is coming back!" He tugged at her ankle, harder this time. "Come, come. We have to see Yubaba!"

Excited at the prospect of getting all of her memories back, Sen eagerly followed the frog down the remainder of the path and up the stone steps. When they reached the top, she stopped. The bath house before her was magnificent, with red paint and green tiling atop the many pagodas. Every window was lit with a warm yellow glow and there was a loud buzz of contentment that floated from the building to the bridge.

"Oh!" Sen felt compelled to run to the large red railing of the bridge and look down. A short train went rumbling by on the tracks below, reminding her of something.

"Sen!" Aogaeru called. "Come on!"

She reluctantly pulled herself from the railing and followed the little frog once again. The closer they got to the main gate, Sen felt herself becoming more and more anxious. Something was pulling her in, compelling her to enter the bath house in front of her. Her heart ached; it was longing for something from a long, long time ago. But what?

Her right foot crossed the threshold of the Bath House and everything went black.

...

_The warm turquoise water caressed her skin like it always did. She smiled lazily, bubbles escaping past her lips. There was no sun this time, only moonlight reached her face through the crystalline waves. The river seemed different this time, though she couldn't exactly tell why. Something just felt wrong._

_ "I've missed you."_

_ She opened her eyes in panic. The river's voice wasn't right. "What's wrong?"_

_ The river swirled around her hair, "You shouldn't be here."_

_ Those words were like knives in her heart; this was the only place she ever wanted to be. "Don't you want me anymore?"_

_ Water danced in circles around her body, "I always want you."_

_ "Then why are you trying to send me away?" She choked._

_ The river once again sent the ghost hands to cup her face, though she could clearly see there was nothing there. Invisible fingers traced her features, "I tried to save you, but you found your back nonetheless. I tried to keep you away because I knew if you returned, you would never want to leave. But I don't know if I can protect you here. My magic isn't as strong as hers."_

_ She reached up to grab the invisible fingers as if to comfort the river, but she could only feel her own skin. "What would you have to protect me from?"_

_ "You will remember soon enough. The spell was not meant to work in this world. That's why it's wearing off."_

_ Her stomach made an uncomfortable flip, "You know about the spell? Can you tell me what happened to me when I was 10?_

_ The river did not answer her question, "When it wears off, you'll understand. But I don't know how long it will be until then."_

_ "That's why I've come here; the hopefully find some answers. The frog spirit said Yubaba may be able to help me."_

_ The river grew angry, tossing her around as its waves roared beneath the surface. Even though it was upset, she was not afraid. The river would never hurt her. She remained silent, letting it toss her to and fro until it was satisfied. When the water finally calmed again, she felt a large wave of embarrassment and guilt ripple through the waves._

_ "I'm sorry," the river whispered. "That was inexcusable."_

_ She looked up towards the surface, her voice gentle, "Tell me why you were angry."_

_ "I don't trust her. I'm afraid she will hurt you."_

_ "If you're so worried, then come and find me."_

_ The river was very still for a moment, "Chihiro…"_

_ She sighed, knowing exactly what he was going to say, "You know, you are the only one allowed to call me that."_

_ "I will always call you that. That was your name when I first met you and that was your name when you saved me."_

_ Knowing the river would not answer her if she asked what it meant about her saving it, she chose to ignore the comment altogether. "Why don't you want to see me?" She asked instead, unable to hide the sadness in her voice._

_ There was only silence for what seemed like hours. When the river finally answered her, its voice was nothing more than a whisper. "Because I'm afraid."_

_ "Afraid of what?"_

_ The water swirled around her again, "That you might remember how much I loved you."_

_..._

"Is that Sen?!"

"Somebody better go get Rin, she'll never believe this!"

"Is she alright?"

"Ugh, she stinks so bad!"

"Someone shake her again!"

"I can't believe she just collapsed like that."

Sen could hear a cluster of voices somewhere above her. Had she fainted _again_? She seemed to be doing that a lot today. The last thing she remembered was walking into the Bath House before a sharp pain hit her right in the temple. Could it be…?

She opened her eyes slowly, grateful that there were plenty of spirits around her willing to help her up. When she was back on her feet, she looked around.

And recognized every single thing she saw.

Before she even had time to realize what that meant, spirits of all types were bombarding her.

"Sen, it's so good to have you back!" The foreman shook her hand warmly.

"We've missed you so much!" Said the group of women who initially rejected taking her on when she first came to the Bath House.

Even the cooks were happy to see her. "Just let us know anytime you're hungry! We will make anything you like!"

Just then, a weasel spirit in her late twenties pushed through the crowd, dressed in the same pink outfit all the women who cleaned the Bath House wore. When she saw Sen, her face lit up while her mouth hung open.

"Sen!" She shouted, throwing her arms around her. "I can't believe it's really you!"

"Rin! I've missed you so much!" Sen cried, burying her face into Rin's shoulder. She was overwhelmed not only with happiness for seeing her friend again, but also with happiness for remembering who Rin was. That must have been the sharp pain in her temple that caused her to faint; her memories had returned the moment she entered the Bath House. As the river in her dreams said: the spell wasn't meant to work here.

"You're definitely not a scrawny little kid anymore!" Rin chuckled, pulling away so she could look at Sen. "You grew up so beautifully!"

Sen blushed, "Thank you, Rin. You look wonderful, too!"

Aogaeru managed to push through everyone's legs, "Ahem. Sorry Rin, but I have to take her straight to Yubaba. She needs—"

"I need another contract before I can start working. Yes, I remember," Sen smiled.

Rin hugged her again, "You're planning on staying this time?!"

She couldn't stop smiling; all of the memories of her last visit to the Spirit world running through her mind and filling her with happiness. Even the bad ones. One thing she knew from the very bottom of her soul was that this place was her home. "Most definitely."

Aogaeru hopped onto Rin's shoulder, "That's all well and good, but I _must_ take her to Yubaba right away."

Rin pushed the frog spirit roughly off her shoulder and grabbed Sen's arm, "Don't worry Aogaeru, I'll take her. You've got some new customers in your section that need attention anyway."

Unable to push through the large crowd with Rin and Sen, Aogaeru was left fuming, trapped by the wall of legs. "I better still get my reward," he muttered angrily. "It's not my fault her memories came back."

...

Rin didn't stop talking for a single second in the elevator on the way to Yubaba's office, but Sen didn't mind. It was so wonderful to be able to remember all the things she was talking about.

"I just can't believe you're really here! If you think I'm excited, I can only imagine how excited Haku will be," she said with a sly smile on her face, eying Sen mischievously.

Sen turned to Rin, her eyebrows furrowed, "Haku?"

"Ah, here we are!" Rin opened the elevator doors and nudged Sen out of it. "I can't go with you, as I'm sure you remember. I'm pretty sure Yubaba will assign you to me again, so I will see you when you come back down. Miss you already!" And the elevator doors closed.

Sen hesitated for a moment before making her way to the large, ornate double doors that held Yubaba's office. The enormous, ugly, golden-headed doorknockers were still mounted on the doors. One of them eyed her suspiciously.

"I recognize that ditzy face," the doorknocker quipped. "You were uglier last time I saw you."

She pursed her lips in displeasure, "And you're still just as rude as ever."

The doorknocker rolled its eyes, but before it could be snarky again, Sen grabbed it and knocked, a little harder than necessary, three times.

The door immediately swung open, followed by that raspy voice she remembered all too well. "Come in, child."

Just like last time, Sen found herself frozen in the doorway and just like last time, Yubaba used her magic to drag her in. When she made it to the main room, Sen managed to keep her balance and not land on her face like she had the first time.

Yubaba looked exactly the same: matronly light blonde bun piled on top of a withered and wrinkled face, gaudy blue eye shadow that matched her slightly frilly blue gown, large mole in the middle of her forehead, obnoxious hooked nose and equally obnoxious gold earrings. She took a long drag on her cigarette before addressing Sen.

"I was wondering when you would come back," Yubaba chuckled in her gravelly voice. "Though I am surprised it took you so long."

Sen narrowed her eyes, "_Someone_ used a spell to cover my memories of this place."

Yubaba looked incredibly disinterested, "Well don't look at me. I didn't do it."

"Oh," Sen backpedaled. "Sorry. I just assumed…"

"Yes, yes I'm sure you did. Now, what is it you want? I don't have all day."

She took a deep breath and strengthened her resolve, "I got my memories back when I walked into the Bath House. Now that I remember everything from last time, I want to ask for my job back."

Yubaba put out her cigarette and gave her full attention to Sen, "You got them back, you say? How interesting…"

Sen frowned, "Why does that matter? I just want my job again."

The witch thought for a moment, "Hm… I guess I don't understand. If you remember everything that happened the last time you were, why would you _want_ a job again and why you even think I would _give_ you a job again? Do you remember how much money you cost me?"

She blushed, "Of course I remember. I let No-Face into the Bath House and he destroyed everything, along with swallowing 3 people. I just…" Sen fidgeted with her fingers. "This is the only place I have ever felt like I belonged. I have so many friends here. And quite honestly, I have no desire to go back to my world. Please Yubaba, will you give me my job back?"

Yubaba sighed, obviously disappointed about something, "Stupid oath," she mumbled. "Fine. I will give you your job back. But if you _ever_ run away again, even if it is to see my worthless sister, I will give you to the kitchens and you will be dinner. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

Sen smiled so wide it hurt, "Yes, ma'am!" She bowed over and over. "I will do my very best."

Yubaba sent a scrap of levitating parchment to Sen, along with a quill. "You know how this goes, sign your name away. We will just call you Sen again."

She eagerly grabbed the quill and signed the parchment 荻野 千尋. When the parchment floated back over to the witch, she once again absorbed Sen's birth name into the palm of her hand, leaving only 千 on the paper.

"You can start tomorrow. For now, I'll have Haku take you to Rin's quarters again so you can get your clothes and get settled," Yubaba said, already focusing on something else on her desk. "Haku?" She called.

A slender yet muscular man in his mid-twenties walked into the room wearing a familiar looking white kimono tied with a purple sash, blue knee-length pants, and wooden sandals. His radiant turquoise hair fell to the middle of his back tied with a sash and framing his face were straight bangs complimented by a section of hair on each side that hung to his collarbone; the eyes that surveyed her were deep pools of majestic jade. Sen had to catch her breath as her heart tried to hammer out of her chest at the sight of him.

"Hello… Sen," the man said, his gentle voice seeping through her skin and mingling with her veins, becoming a part of her very soul.

She blushed furiously and bowed to hide her face, "Hello! You must be Master Haku."

Whoever this man was, he made Sen feel things she'd never felt before. Something about him called out to her, making her heart ache with that strange loneliness again. But there was something else, too…

She _knew_ his voice.

She _loved _his voice.

She_ craved_ his voice.

But that was all ridiculous… she had never met this man before.

...

...

**Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!** **That's right guys! She got all of her memories back except the memories of Haku! Those are still buried. I was going to end this chapter with Yubaba's reaction to finding out that Sen doesn't remember Haku, but I decided to end it here instead. Suffice it to say, Yubaba is thrilled with this little turn of events. She is still planning on trying to manipulate Sen to get back at Haku and this proved the perfect opportunity for her. I'm so excited to share more with you guys soon!**

**Also, I may have to change the rating from 'T' to 'M' if I go through with some of the ideas I have. Eh, we'll see. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed my favorite chapter so far! ^.^**


	6. Chapter 6

_"I've missed you," said the river in its usual fashion._

_ For the first time, she didn't know how to answer. Instead, she floated in silence, a deep blush staining her cheeks._

_ The river sent the invisible hands to caress her warm cheeks, "What's the matter, Chihiro?"_

_ She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to hurt the river, but she wanted to be honest. She wasn't a liar. _

_ "My love," the river soothed, "you can tell me anything. I will never get angry with you."_

_ It took a moment, but she managed to find the words. "I met someone today."_

_ "Oho?" The river chuckled. "I assume it was a man?"_

_ "Why would you just assume that?!" She shouted, cheeks reddening._

_ Voice still full of amusement, the river simply said, "Chihiro..."_

_ "Oh… well… yes… it was."_

_ The river's voice was gentle, "Tell me about him."_

_ She hesitated, "I think I may have… maybe met him before. I don't know why, but something about him was so familiar. And I used to draw a little boy that looked exactly like him if he were 10 years younger. But that couldn't be… I got all my memories back already. If I had met him before, wouldn't I remember?"_

_ The water swirled her hair around like it often enjoyed doing, "What did he look like?"_

_ "He was…" Her heart skipped a beat. "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. He has long blue-green hair, the exact color of your water… and green eyes like nothing I've ever seen before. I don't know how else to describe him; he was like something out of a dream."_

_ The river chuckled again, "I see."_

_ She titled her face to the moonlight, "But his _voice… _his voice sounded just like yours. Exactly the same. When he spoke, it was like his words went right through me. Something in my heart knew him."_

_ For a long time, there was nothing but silence._

_ "Are you… mad at me?" She asked sheepishly._

_ The river sent the ghost hands to touch her face like always, but this time she also felt a light brush of someone's lips against her forehead. "On the contrary, Chihiro. I don't think I have been this happy in a very long time."_

_..._

Haku lingered at the top of the stairs, patiently waiting for Rin to come charging up them with her and Sen's breakfast. He only had to wait a few minutes before she did exactly that.

"Rin, may I speak with you?"

"Gah!" Rin shouted, almost dropping the two bowls of rice she was carrying. "What do you think you're doing, Haku? Waiting at the top of staircases just to scare people? I almost dropped our food!"

He bowed his head slightly, "My apologies. Do you have a moment? Is Sen with you?"

She shook her head, "That girl is not good with getting up early. I'll bet she's still sleeping, muttering about some river when I get back. I'm gonna have to get up extra early for a while just to make sure we both actually get down here on time!"

Haku took her elbow lightly, leading her to an empty guest room. When he slid the door shut behind him, she looked at him skeptically. "What exactly is this, Haku? What do you want?"

When he turned around, he could feel the desperate look on his face, "I need your help, Rin."

Her face softened, "Is it Sen?"

He nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I never expected her to come back here. The spell I used on her wasn't meant to work here and now…"

Rin set the bowls onto a table and crossed her arms, "Spell? What spell? What are you talking about?"

Haku hesitated, "Before she left 13 years ago… I put a memory spell on her purple hair-band. Zeniba, No-Face, Boh, and Yu-Bird made it for her so I knew she would never get rid of it. I was trying to protect her; I knew if she retained all her memories, she would undoubtedly come looking for this place again and one day she would find it. I know that doesn't sound like a problem, but I'm sure you remember how furious Yubaba was for the first few months after Sen left. I thought that if she had come back to that, Yubaba would have done something terrible to her, like enslave her here forever."

"But Sen_ wants_ to stay here. She signed another contract with Yubaba yesterday."

He nodded, "I know. But at the time, she was too young to know what she wanted and I didn't want her making a choice that she might live to regret. Certainly not because of me. What I didn't take into account was the possibility that she might one day come back here. The memory spell was only meant to work in the human world… once she stepped into the Bath House she got almost all of her memories back."

Rin frowned, "Almost?"

Haku hesitated again, unsure if he should tell Rin the worst of it.

"Just tell me, Haku. If you want me to help you, my only condition is that I know everything. No secrets."

Sighing, he continued, "As you know, I can use magic. It's not nearly as strong as Yubaba's or Zeniba's, but it's strong enough. I didn't need to use very much magic for the memory spell but still… her mind was fighting me. When I went through her mind, just to scan quickly to ensure it was all buried, I found that the spell didn't work on any memory pertaining to me. She refused to let me go."

Rin sniffed, "I think I'm going to cry."

"You might want to wait. It gets worse. At first, I was at a loss. I had never met someone who could resist magic so well. But then I thought back to everything I had learned from Yubaba and the secrets I had stolen from Zeniba and I found the answer. See, I was burying her memories without ever touching her; I didn't want her to know I was doing anything because she would have fought it harder. So when I led her back to the Spirit Gate, I held her hand," at the confused look on Rin's face, Haku sighed. "Let me explain. When it comes to modifying someone's memory with magic, you can do it without ever touching them as long as you can see them. But there are certain types of memories that that method doesn't work on. Memories pertaining to love are one of them."

Rin wiped her eyes.

"With magic, you can't ever completely erase a memory of love. It's impossible. However, you can bury it so far down that no one except you would ever know how to find it. And that is exactly what I did when I held her hand that day."

She shook her head in confusion, "I don't understand, Haku. You've been miserable since the day she left. I understand wanting to protect her, but don't you think it's unfair to make her forget about her feelings for you? Shouldn't that be her choice?"

Haku sighed once again, "It should. But if Yubaba were to find out that Sen feels any type of affection towards me, can you imagine the things she could make Sen do using me as leverage? She could make Sen her slave. I can't have that."

They both stood in silence for a moment before Rin spoke, "So what do you need me to do?"

"I need you and Kamaji to not tell Sen anything about our relationship from the last time she was here. As of right now, she knows I'm familiar but as far as she's concerned, she's never met me. It would be best to keep it that way."

Rin nodded, "Okay, I will tell him. But Haku… aren't you worried that she will just develop feelings for you all over again? Especially now that she's not a little kid anymore? I mean, you can't just avoid her forever. The Bath House is big, but it's not that big."

He frowned, torn between what he wanted and he thought was right, "I've worried about that. I don't want to avoid her at all, not after all these years but…"

"Look Haku," she said, grabbing the two bowls of food from the table, "I'm not particularly thrilled about this situation. I understand why you did it and why you want to keep her in the dark, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I think you're overestimating Yubaba and underestimating Sen. She isn't the ditzy little 10 year-old anymore and I'd be willing to bet she could see through anything Yubaba tried to pull. I worry more about what it will do to her if you don't dredge up the memories she has of you. She plans on staying here, permanently Haku. Imagine being in her position; would it really be better to let her end up with someone she doesn't really want all in the name of protecting her from something that may or may not even happen? That isn't fair for her and it isn't fair for you."

He knew Rin was right. And just the thought of Chihiro, _his_ Chihiro ending up with another man made his inner dragon furious. Haku knew Chihiro still felt something for him, he had known it for a very long time. After all, it wasn't as if he was being completely selfless anyway; because Haku tampered with Chihiro's mind by going inside her memories, there was always a connection between them. For years he had been visiting Chihiro's mind in her sleep in the form of his river just to be close to her in any way that he could. And all of those years he spent with her in her dreams only made him love her more. Even now when she was back in the Spirit world and back in the Bath House, he still couldn't stop himself from visiting her dreams. Quite frankly, he was glad he hadn't stopped.

Just last night, she admitted that she thought he, the spirit form of Haku, was beautiful. And that was certainly a start.

Rin slid the door open, looking back at Haku one more time, "I'll do what you asked me to, and I'll tell Kamaji. But please, don't do this to her or yourself. I really don't think it will be worth it." Just as she stepped through the door, she stopped again. "One more thing, Haku. You said that only you can unbury her memories of you… how exactly would you do that?"

Haku blushed furiously as he cleared his throat, "I would have to kiss her."

Rin snorted, closing the door behind her with her foot, "Psh, figures."

...

After Sen finished her breakfast, she and Rin went down to start their day cleaning the tubs. Luckily, unlike her first day 13 years ago, they weren't assigned the big tub this time. There were no words for how relieved she was that she didn't have to scrub that enormous tub on her first day again.

Sen yawned, stretching her arms, "Getting up this early is going to take some getting used to. At least we finally found a uniform that fits me."

Rin laughed, "Well you're not short and scrawny anymore; that helps."

"Sen!" The foreman called from his desk when he caught sight of her. "Can you come here for a second? I have a message from Yubaba."

Sen look at Rin for moment before shrugging, "I'll be back, I guess." She jogged down the stairs and over the foreman before bowing. "Good Morning, Mr. Foreman. What is it?"

He looked down at a small piece of paper where he jotted down some sloppy scrawl, "Looks like Yubaba wants you on attendant detail today instead of tubs."

"Attendant detail?" She repeated, unable to make sense of what he was saying. She was always on cleaning duty with Rin, why change now? "That's strange. But okay… who am I attending?"

"Hmm…" He looked at the paper again. "Ah, it looks like you will be the personal attendant of Master Haku today. He must be busy with something, so it looks like you will be bringing him all of his meals, doing his laundry, and cleaning his personal quarters. His quarters are on the floor right before the top floor; he's the last door on the left."

Sen felt her entire body grow hot as the blush that started in her cheeks spread to her toes, "Why does Yubaba want me doing that today?"

He shrugged, "No idea. But if you don't want to get in trouble on your first day back, you better get moving. Master Haku always has his breakfast by exactly 8:00."

Just as she started to walk towards the kitchens, she turned back to the foreman, remembering something vague from a long time ago, "Uhm… what if he isn't there when I bring his breakfast? I seem to remember he goes out a lot."

The foreman smiled, "Don't be nervous, Sen. Master Haku isn't as rigid as Yubaba. If he isn't there, just leave it for him on one of his tables and start working on your other duties."

Without saying another word, Sen made her way to the kitchens. She walked in, unoffended when several spirits pinched their noses at her human stench, and grabbed the silver tray that had 'Master Haku' chiseled elegantly into it. She could feel her pulse start to race as she took the tray to the elevator. The river in her dreams didn't seem upset with her for being interested in this man; on the contrary, the river seemed almost happy about it. Either way, something about this situation felt… peculiar. Like there was something she was missing.

The wooden elevator's red-paneled doors slid open and she stepped inside. Sen pushed the lever and after the elevator doors slid closed again, it began to ascend. As she came closer and closer to the 'Heaven' floor, the floor Yubaba was on, she felt her hands began to shake. Master Haku's room was on the floor directly below Yubaba's… 3 floors away… 2 floors… 1 floor…

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Sen forced a few deep breaths into her lungs before she gathered the courage to step out. Nervous as she was, it was hard not to be impressed by the elegance of this floor; next to Yubaba's floor, she had never seen any other floor as beautiful as this. The walls were paneled with a rich, dark red-brown wood and the floor was carpeted with plush golden fabrics; there weren't many rooms on this floor, but the few rooms it did have were concealed by elegant, tan shoji sliding screens. The foor was lit by numerous lanterns that hung from the ceiling and cast a warm, golden glow over the entire space. This place even _smelled_ good, although it was clear to her that women did not live on this floor. The entire floor smelled rich and earthy with the occasional smokiness from someone, somewhere smoking a pipe of some sort; there were no floral scents anywhere. The masculine scent of the level seemed to wrap around her like a delicate ribbon and embed itself in her hair. She was certain she would smell like this place for days, no matter how much she bathed.

Sen finally made her way down the hallway immediately to her left. Just like the foreman said, the last room on the left was undoubtedly his. A silver plaque that read 'Master Haku' in elegant kanji was hung next to the shoji doors. She took one more deep breath and knocked.

No reply.

After for waiting for what seemed like a polite amount of time, she knocked again.

Still no reply.

Unsure of what else to do, Sen let herself in.


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying so far! I've got some biiig things planned. :) Just a little explanation (even though I'm sure you figured it out by now), Sen cannot actually remember Haku right now, but her heart recognizes him, as silly as that sounds. That's why she keeps feeling that loneliness. Her heart is reaching for something her mind doesn't recognize yet. HOWEVER, a small part of her knows him. That's where this scene comes in to play. Usually you wouldn't be comfortable with someone you just met, but her heart realizes it has known him for a very long time. Hopefully you guys will find this all as emotional I did while writing it; I definitely had some moisture in my eyes!**

**...**

Just as she thought, the room was empty.

Sen slid the door closed quietly behind her and set the silver tray on a small chestnut table that sat next to the door. Since Master Haku wasn't here, she felt safe taking some time to looking around; after all, if she was going to be cleaning this place more than once, and knowing Yubaba she probably would be, then it was important for her to know all of the things he had in his room, right? She didn't have to look around much though, because even though the room was large, it was very simply decorated. The walls were paneled with the same dark, red-brown wood as the hallway, the flooring was tan tatami, and the same cloth lanterns hung from the ceiling and casted a warm glow over the entire room. Directly across from the door was what she assumed was the balcony, partitioned by two sets of the standard Bath House sliding shoji. In the space between the two shoji was his white shikibuton, the gold kakebuton and makuras strewn chaotically on top of it. Right above the shikibuton hung a small scroll, a large white dragon with turquoise hair painted on it. To the far left, there sat a large fireplace flanked by two floor-to-ceiling bookcases in dark chestnut, matching the two small chestnut tables that flanked the door. In front of the fireplace sat a low table with four cushions that was almost entirely covered by papers and books. To the right was a half-open shoji that revealed a small bathroom and a fusuma near that balcony that could only be a closet. Between these two doors were three large potted plants.

Being in this room felt so intimate, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Sen could feel her face grow hot as she walked over to his shikibuton. She looked up at the painting on the wall, her fingers aching to touch it. She reached out her hand, something about that dragon was awfully familiar…

_"I've missed you, Chihiro."_

She froze, her arm halfway outstretched towards the painting. The river's affectionate words resounded in her head, that beautiful voice seeping through her body like Haku's had when she first met him. That horrible aching loneliness that she didn't understand ripped through her heart again, causing her legs to give out beneath her. Sen landed on the shikibuton with her head in her hands. Why was she so sad? She finally had her memories back and she was finally back to the only place that ever felt like home. She should be happier now than ever before.

So why did she feel like something huge was missing?

"Sen?" A gentle voice came from the balcony's shoji doors behind her. "What are you doing here?" There was the soft sound of bare feet sliding across the tatami before he knelt in front of her. "Sen?"

When she looked up at him, he could see she was crying. There was no stopping the tears that were stemming from that unbearable sadness she felt inside. It was finally too much.

Haku was immediately alarmed. He grabbed her left wrist and put his other hand on her cheek, "Why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

_Are you hurt?_ It was such a simple question and yet she had no way to answer. She _was_ hurt, but had absolutely no idea why. Sen found herself leaning her head into his hand, closing her eyes. She should be uncomfortable being this close to a man she only met yesterday but she felt like she knew him. She felt _so_ many things for this man that she didn't understand.

At first, Haku's seemed shocked at her sudden closeness but after only a few seconds, he softened. He put his forehead against hers, "Sen… talk to me."

And for reasons she could never explain, she knew she could. She knew he would never get angry with her. "I just have to tell someone," Sen said, her voice soft. "I can't keep feeling like this."

Haku waited, simply stroking her cheek.

She sat up and moved back just enough to grab his hands and hold them in her own as she looked at him, "Why do I feel like I know you? When I see you…" Laughing lightly to herself, Sen stopped and looked down at their hands. "Let me start from the beginning. I was here before, when I was 10. My parents were turned into pigs for eating food meant for the spirits and I knew I had to save them. So I did. And after I left, all of my memories of my time here were gone but my life was never the same. I grew up empty. I never felt like I belonged in my own world anymore. Do you know have any idea that's like?" Her chocolate brown eyes bored into his desperately. "Do you know what it's like to feel like you're just drifting through life, missing something you can't name?"

His eyes were sad, "No Sen, I don't. Tell me what it was like."

Sen gripped his hands tighter, looking down at them again, "It was horrible. I didn't make friends anymore; the friendships just felt forced. I didn't really talk to anyone. I just kept to myself. But I developed a love for art and I started drawing things constantly, things I didn't understand. Now, I know I was drawing No-Face and Kamaji and Rin and Yubaba. But I also drew a boy. I drew him more than any of the others, but I still don't know who he is."

"Is that what makes you sad?" Haku asked, searching her face.

She shook her head, "No. At least, not at first. When I was 12 I started having dreams about being in a river." Sen blushed. "This is going to sound ridiculous but… at first we were just friends, and I valued the sense of companionship I got from those dreams. The river seemed to understand me and value my company too. But as I got older, I developed _feelings_ for it. I would hope and hope during the day that the river would come to me when I went to sleep. And more often than not, it did. I remember being so upset when I would wake up, wishing I could stay asleep just to keep the river with me. But every day following one of those dreams, I would draw that boy. _That_ made me sad. It felt like I was losing it, like I was just creating that boy to give the river in my dreams a physical form. I felt so pathetic."

His face looked as though it was on the edge of crumpling in pain. This time, Sen put her hand on his face, "Should I stop?"

Haku shook his head, "No, please. I want to know it all. I want to know what's hurting you."

"I don't know what it is. I should be happy now that I'm back where I belong but…" Sen could feel the tears budding in her eyes again. "When I see you, I feel like something's missing inside me. I don't know you, but I feel like I do. When I hear your voice, it feels like there are tiny fissures in my heart threatening to shatter me. There's something about you on the edges of my mind but I can't figure out what it is. I've never even met you, Master Haku, but when I see you I want to run and throw myself into your arms. Even when I dream of my river now, I only think of you and I don't know why."

He cupped her face with both hands, "Sen, I'm so sorry. Please." He begged, tears brimming in his own eyes. "Please forgive me. Please."

Sen didn't know why he was apologizing, but it only made her pain worse so she pulled away from him. She gripped the area above her heart fiercely, uncontrollable sobs ripping from her chest, "Who are you that you can make me hurt like this? Why do I want you so badly?"

Haku broke. He couldn't stand seeing Sen like this, not when he was the one who hurt her so much with nothing but good intentions. He pulled her off the bed and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. There was nothing more he wanted to do than apologize to her and spend the rest of his very long life making it up to her. But once again, Haku was being pulled in two directions; now that he knew how much Chihiro was hurting and that her heart clearly still recognized him, he wanted to kiss her to bring her memories back so she would finally understand. On the other hand, a very large part of him knew how cruel Yubaba was and knew that she would take advantage of Chihiro's feelings for him. Either way, Chihiro would get hurt somehow.

He couldn't win either way.

"Master Haku," Sen buried her face into his shoulder and gripped the front of his kimono with both hands, "tell me who you are, why I feel like I know you. Tell me why you make me feel like this."

Yubaba be damned. He couldn't hurt her anymore.

Haku turned his face to her neck and whispered, "Chihiro…"

When he said her true name, her skin prickled with goosebumps, "M-master Haku…?"

He cupped her face again and put his forehead against hers, "There are so many things I want to say. So many things I don't have words for."

Her pulse quickened against his fingers.

"I don't want you to hurt anymore," Haku wiped her tears with his thumbs. "I can't stand it, Chihiro."

Her eyes fluttered closed as he moved closer to her, "Only my river… is allowed to… call me that."

He smiled, his lips barely brushing the corner of her mouth now, "I know."

...

Sen was sitting on the balcony with her legs dangling off the edge when Rin returned with dinner.

"There you are, Sen!" Rin shouted. "I was looking for you all day! Where have you been you dope? You really had me worried!" When she sat next to Sen on the balcony and noticed the look on her face, she just set the two bowls down. "Whoa Sen, what's up?"

Sen turned to her friend, a blush in her cheeks, "Master Haku almost kissed me today."

Rin's eyes were like saucers.

"Yubaba assigned me as his attendant today, that's why I wasn't cleaning with you. When I brought him his food, he wasn't there so I decided to look around since I was going to have to clean anyway. Then he showed up on the balcony."

Her friend scooted closer to her, now shoving generous helpings of rice and fish into her mouth as she listened.

Sen looked back out over the seemingly endless sea that extended from the Bath House, "I told him about the memory spell and everything I went through since I lost them. I didn't mean to get so emotional, but I couldn't help it. And then when I started to cry, Mas—I mean, Haku put his arms around me and just kept apologizing. He never did tell me what for. There are a lot of things he said that I didn't understand."

Rin managed to swallow her mouthful of food, "So what happened?!"

She blushed deeper, "He was just about to kiss me when someone came knocking at his door. There was a problem with the water for the baths and they needed him to fix it. So, he apologized and left."

"Aghhh!" The weasel spirit groaned in frustration. "So what did you do?"

Sen let out a deep sigh, "What else? I did his laundry and cleaned his quarters like I was supposed to. By the time I was done with all of that, Haku wasn't back yet and it was almost time for our dinner. So here I am."

Rin huffed, "Ugh, what rotten timing! But don't worry about it Sen, I'm sure Haku will find you again." She winked.

"I certainly hope he does," Sen chuckled.

For a long time the two women ate in silence on the dusk-bathed balcony.

"I really missed you, Sen," Rin said quietly, setting down her empty bowl. "I can't tell you how glad I am that you're back."

Sen put her food down and hugged Rin tightly, "I know exactly how you feel. I missed you, too."

Just then a woman appeared at the door of their quarters, "Rin? Sen? You've got customers."

They both sighed.

"Should we go?" Rin grabbed both of their empty bowls and started to get up.

"I guess so. Do you think Haku will be around tonight? The Bath House is awfully busy."

Her friend laughed, "Don't even start, Sen. He'll kiss you soon enough."

...

...

**FUN FACT: I listen to the exact same song on repeat every time I write something pertaining to Haku and Chihiro. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again, the first little dream/flashback (whatever you want to call it) encompasses a scene directly from the American version of Spirited Away. Also, I hope you guys don't mind all the jumping around in this chapter. I felt like it was important to get everything that was going on simultaneously instead of just dragging out one event for no particular reason. Enjoy! :)**

**...**

_She looked around, confused. Why was she on the bridge to the Bath House? Shouldn't she be in the river?_

_ A 10 year-old girl stood on the opposite side of the bridge, peering over the railing at the train rumbling below. It was then that a young boy with blue-green hair came towards her looking shocked._

_ "You shouldn't be here. Get out of here, now!" He shouted._

_ The little girl just looked at him quizzically, "What?"_

_ "It's almost night; leave, before it gets dark!"_

_ The lamps at the front of the Bath House lit up._

_ He gasped, "They're lighting the lamps!" The boy pushed her towards the stone stairs. "Get out of here! You've gotta get across the river, go! I'll distract them."_

_ As the girl ran, the young boy faced the Bath House, held out his hand, and blew on it gently. Light pink flower petals materialized from his fingers in a delicate swirl._

_ The little girl reached the stone steps before looking back, "What's up with him?" She mumbled to herself, rubbing her eyes. She then disappeared down the stairs._

_ After the girl disappeared, the boy remained on the bridge with his arms and palms outstretched, chanting something to himself._

_ "A spell?" Sen observed quietly. "It must have been to protect her." She walked over to him and knelt down, wanting to get a clearer look at his face. When he turned to make sure the girl had gone, Sen gasped at the sight of his face. _

_ Haku. A very, very young Haku._

_ So did that mean, the girl was…?_

_..._

The next week was uneventful. Just as Sen had guessed, Yubaba kept her on attendant duty during the day for Haku. Every morning, Sen would bring Haku his breakfast and every morning, he wasn't there. For a while each day, she would sit on the balcony and wait for him to return, but he never did; at least not while she was there. Not wanting to get in trouble for failing to do her job, Sen would then proceed to clean Haku's quarters and wash his laundry like she was supposed to. She knew that Haku came back to his room at some point during the day or night because every morning, there was a white kimono and blue pants somewhere on the floor of his bathroom. So why didn't she ever see him?

"I just don't get it," Sen sighed tugging the string that filled the tub with herbal water. "He almost kisses me and then I don't see or hear from him for a week. Did I do something?"

Rin swept the floor around the tub, "It's not that unusual for Haku to disappear for days at a time. Even though he's not Yubaba's apprentice anymore, his contract still requires him to run errands for her. I'm sure he's just busy with something."

She hopped down from the lip of the tub, "But he comes back to his room every day. There are always new clothes to be washed when I get there in the morning. He couldn't take twenty minutes to come see me?"

The weasel spirit set down her broom and started neatly folding a stack of towels, "You're more eager to see him than usual, you haven't been this anxious all week. Is something up?"

"Well, actually…" Sen started packing up their cleaning supplies. "I know this may sound crazy but I think I've met Haku before."

Rin dropped the stack of perfectly folded towels in surprise, "You do?"

She nodded, "Yeah, back when I was here the first time. I still don't remember him exactly, but I had a dream last night that made me wonder. I was standing on the bridge to the Bath House when I saw a little girl, maybe 10 years-old, who was leaning over the railing and looking at the train below. That's when a boy, maybe 12, with blue-green hair came up to her. He was really panicked about something and he just kept telling her that she needed to leave before it was too late, before it got dark. When she ran away like told her, he cast some sort of spell on the bridge… I can only assume to protect her. When the girl was gone, I walked over to the boy to see what he looked like and…"

"And what?" Her friend's eyes were wide.

"It was Haku, I know it. Only he was incredibly young and his hair was short. That's why I want to talk to him. I need to know if the girl in my dream was me; I need to know if that dream was actually a memory."

Rin began to refold the towels she dropped when she paused, "You said Haku almost kissed you. What exactly did you mean by 'almost'?"

Sen blushed, "His mouth was on the corner of mine when he got called away."

"Did his lips actually touch yours?"

Her face went an even darker shade of red, "Just barely. Why does it matter?"

Rin looked down and folded the towels sloppily this time, "No reason. I was just curious."

...

Aogaeru sat silently in front of Yubaba's ornate desk as she scribbled something on a piece of parchment.

"I'm not doing anything else until I get my reward," the frog spirit huffed angrily. "You said I would get my gold after I brought Sen back. She's been here for an entire week and I still haven't seen a single gold nugget! It's not my fault her memories came back!"

Yubaba took a long drag on her cigarette, cackling hoarsely as she exhaled the smoke, "Considering that I own you, I technically don't have to reward you at all if I don't want to. And I don't care that her memories came back; her most important ones are still buried and that's all that matters to me."

Aogaeru eyed her suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

She cackled again, "She still doesn't remember Haku."

"So why does that matter?"

Yubaba threw a small teacup that hit the frog directly in the head, "You idiot. I can use this to my advantage. As long as she doesn't remember him, I have a little something that will work perfectly on her." Her sharp red lacquered nails drummed on a small jeweled box rhythmically. "If you do this one last thing for me Aogaeru, not only will I give you the reward I initially promised, I will also give you your name back. After that, you can leave and never come back if you want."

The frog thought for a moment, "Fine. Just tell me what you need me to do."

...

Sen couldn't sleep. The dream she had the night before was playing over and over in her mind. That, and Rin was snoring obnoxiously in her ear.

"Ugh," she groaned, sitting up. Every other woman in their room was fast asleep, so if she was going to leave she needed to be extra quiet. Sen stealthily slipped on her knee-length pink work pants that she'd worn yesterday and retied her blue apron around her neck and waist, leaving her pink overshirt on the floor. She grabbed her wooden sandals and tip-toed between the shikibutons of her sleeping roommates until she was able to slip out the door. Remembering like it was yesterday, Sen made her way down the seemingly never-ending staircases until she made it to Kamaji's boiler room. A wave of guilt crashed over her when she realized that she hadn't come to visit him yet. Unable to worry about that now, Sen forced herself forward, sliding the door to the boiler room open as quietly as she could before crawling through it.

Luckily, he and all his soot sprites were sound asleep.

Sen crept silently through the boiler room until she reached the series of doors that led out of the Bath House and to a large, uneven staircase that was tacked haphazardly to the side of the building. When she finally made it outside to the staircase, she gulped.

It wasn't any less terrifying than it had been when she was 10.

"I'm a grown woman now, damn it," she scolded herself. "I shouldn't be afraid of a set of stairs." Sen looked toward the top. "Even if they are dangerous…and probably going to collapse with me on them."

After a few deep breaths of the crisp night air, Sen began slowly crawling up the stairs on her hands and knees.

"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down," she chanted to herself.

When she finally reached the garden at the top of the stairs, Sen slipped on her wooden sandals and snuck through the side gate. At last, she had made it out of the Bath House.

The moonlight turned the bridge from red to white and bathed the water below it with an incandescent glow. Sen rested her arms on the railing and looked out over the water. In the distance there was a cluster of black shadows which she knew was Swamp Bottom. Idly, she found herself wondering how Granny was. Had No-Face stayed with her? Had she continued to teach him how to use her spinning wheel? Did they miss her? She would have to visit them on her next day off if she could find some train tickets.

There was a sudden gust of wind. Sen looked up at the sky, hoping to see… what? Flashes of a creature, long and white with horns and blue-green hair were dancing on the edges of her memory. A dragon, maybe? Haku had a painting of a dragon like that above his bed. That must be where she remembered it from.

"Hm?" Sen noticed a small building a short distance from the bridge that seemed to be surrounded almost entirely by a wall of flowers. It was the pig pen where her parents had been held.

"I wonder if it's still being used," she thought out loud to herself. Unable to stop her curiosity, Sen slipped off her sandals and jogged toward the wall of flowers. She wandered the edge for a few minutes trying the entrance into the flower 'maze' because for some reason, she couldn't remember where it was.

"You look lost."

Sen's heart fluttered at the sound of the velvety voice that inhabited every corner of her mind. Her body immediately reacted to his presence; she felt her skin become flushed and muscles tense when he walked towards her. There was so much electricity in the air between them, she would've sworn her body was buzzing.

Sen turned, knocked breathless once again by his sheer beauty. Under the moonlight, his long turquoise hair gleamed, looking like waves when the wind rustled it. Idly, she wondered if she would ever get used to the sight of him.

She certainly hoped not.

"M-master Haku!" Sen bowed deeply, blushing. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I would take a walk."

Haku lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him as he smiled, "Calling me 'Haku' would do just fine. I think we're past the formalities now."

Her breath caught in her throat as she remember his lips so close to hers.

He let his hand drop, eyeing the wall of flowers behind her, "Going to the pig pen?"

She managed a nod.

"Well you'll never get there at this rate. Let me take you."

"Okay," Sen's voice squeaked.

Haku casually took her hand and led her further down to the entrance; even when they started going through the maze, he didn't let go.

She looked down at their hands and was amazed at how right it felt. Every time he was near her, it was like something inside of her was recognizing a piece of itself. Like he was integral to who she was.

Like her other half.

"You seem nervous, Chihiro. Is everything alright?" Haku asked as they walked through the flowers.

Sen _was_ nervous. She had poured her heart out to him last time and he almost kissed her; what was there not to be nervous about? The entire week, she wanted to see Haku again to see if he would try to kiss her again or if the first time was just in an effort to comfort her. Then she had a dream of him that she couldn't explain. She was so unexplainably happy that he was here with her but she had a litany of questions on her mind as well. When she didn't answer him, he stopped and turned to her.

"Chihiro?"

She sighed. Just the way he said her name seemed to turn her bones to jelly.

Haku put his hands on her face, "Are you angry with me? Because I haven't seen you all week?"

"No!" Sen cried, blushing for the millionth time. "I'm so glad you're here. I… I missed you. That's all."

He smiled, "And I've missed you."

Something about the way he said that phrase was so familiar to her but she couldn't put her finger on it. Sen bit her lip, "Where were you? Why didn't you come and see me?"

Grabbing her hand again, they continued to walk, "Every once in a while, Yubaba will send me to see Zeniba in order to keep tabs on No-Face for a few days. She's terrified he will come back and ruin the Bath House again even though we all know he won't."

She chewed on that for moment, "You couldn't spare ten minutes to see me?"

He stopped again, "Chihiro?"

"I… I thought you were avoiding me. I thought maybe you didn't want to see me after you…"

Haku cupped her face again, as he liked to do, and brushed away the frustrated tears that were beginning to form in her eyes, "You think I _didn't want to see you_? You were afraid that my almost kissing you was some type of _mistake_?"

Sen only nodded.

"Chihiro…" His voice washed over her, making her knees shake. "Seeing you for 10 minutes would have been worse than not seeing you at all. Do you think 10 minutes with you would have been enough time for me? It would have only made me miss you more while I was away. I know that is selfish of me, protecting my own fragile emotions, but you have to understand: you are the only thing ever on my mind. I want to be by your side, always."

Everything he felt about her, she felt about him multiplied exponentially. He was the only thing she wanted. Ever.

And she still didn't know why.

But there was still that insecure, nagging voice in the back of her mind, "Are you sure you don't regret… almost kissing me? You didn't do it just to make me feel better?"

Haku pushed her against the flower wall, once again resting his forehead against hers as he wound his arms around her waist, "Chihiro… how can I possibly make you understand? How can I explain what you are to me? You are… _everything_. You have been for a long time. There is no me without you. Not anymore."

It felt completely natural as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I don't feel like I've just met you, Haku. I feel like I've been waiting for you for years."

He tilted his head, brushing her nose with his affectionately.

"Tell me why I feel like I'm in love with you."

"I would rather show you," Haku whispered.

And he kissed her, crushing her lips with his.

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Gahhhh! There it is! But don't get complacent guys; the story is FAR from over. :D Don't even think that because Haku kissed her, things are all peachy-keen. I promise, they're not. Btw, because you guys wanted to know, the song I listen to on repeat when I write anything pertaining to Haku and Chihiro is called "One Day" by Trading Yesterday. Take a quick gander at the lyrics and you will understand why. That, and the music in this song sets the perfect tone for those scenes. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Something was very, very wrong.

Haku sat on the balcony outside of his room, waiting for the sun to rise. Even if he tried to sleep now, he knew it would never come. Not when all he could think about was Sen. Frustrated and angry, he could feel his dragon awakening inside him and wanting to get out. What went wrong? Had he made a mistake? Had he used too much magic? Or had he simply forgotten what he actually did? There had to be _some _explanation for it, some reason why it didn't work.

Why didn't she remember him?

He had kissed her in the flower maze with the intention of finally bringing her last memories back, but nothing happened. As they were leaving the empty pig pen, Haku had kissed her again, not only because he wanted to but with the hope that this time, it would work. Still, there was nothing. Then, Sen had kissed him on the bridge before they parted ways and still, nothing returned to her. The spell he had used was supposed to only require one kiss in order to make her memories return, but they had shared three and she still didn't remember anything. And something about that worried him very much.

Out of the corner of his eye, Haku saw an ugly looking bird with the body of a crow and the head of an old woman flying from the flower maze up to the very top floor of the Bath House. Of course, Yu-bird must have been keeping tabs on them; probably to make sure neither of them was running away again.

Yu-bird caught sight of him watching her and she immediately sped up, trying to get to the top floor as fast as possible. This made Haku suspicious, so he stood up and decided to let his dragon take hold. For a few brief seconds, the edges of his body began to shiver and blur, the pigment melting off his skin leaving behind white, shimmering scales. He then felt his torso and face twist and elongate; not painfully, but smoothly and snakelike as his body became 40 feet long. His hands and feet morphed into beige-colored claws as a long turquoise mane burst forth along the length of him and at the tip of his tail. Two angled horns emerged from his forehead along with a set of long, flowing whiskers from his cheeks. Haku then leapt of the balcony and flew up towards the top floor of the Bath House.

Careful to avoid all of the doors and windows surrounding Yubaba's office, Haku flew to the roof and landed quietly. He was able to hang onto the roofing tiles with his back claws as he used his front ones to balance the rest of his body against the vertical wall. Moving as slowly and quietly as he could manage, Haku got as close as he could to the open shoji's on the end of her balcony. Since his hearing was much more sensitive in dragon form, Haku could clearly hear the voices in Yubaba's office.

"Welcome back, Yu-bird," Yubaba said gently. "Anything interesting?"

Yu-bird cawed a few times.

The hag laughed hoarsely, "My, my. I don't know what trigger Haku put on Sen's memories of him, but whatever it is, it clearly hasn't worked. It seems my little trick went over better than expected. Not that I'm surprised, mind you. My magic is much stronger than his."

Yu-bird cawed again.

"So he kissed her, did he? How cute. It seems our little Haku is getting bolder and bolder all the time. It's only a matter of time before he makes her remember him… and I can't have that."

Haku felt a snarl wanting to build in his chest.

He heard Yubaba sit in her desk chair, "Well now that we have proof my little magic trick worked on Sen and now that we know exactly what Haku feels for her, I do believe it's time to take the next step."

Yu-bird cawed once.

The witch lit a cigarette, "Oh, yes. I'm going to make Haku regret ever crossing me."

Haku's heart plummeted; he _knew_ Yubaba had been up to something.

...

The next morning, Sen was humming cheerfully as she finished running a towel over her damp hair. Last night had been perfect although admittedly, a complete shock. She never expected Haku to actually kiss her, and certainly not like _that_. She could feel herself blushing just thinking about it. The things he'd said, the way he'd looked at her… it was as if he had loved her for longer than she knew.

And of course, she felt the exact same way.

Maybe it was her imagination, but Haku _had_ seemed disappointed after the first time he kissed her. He watched her like he was expecting her to say something and when she didn't, he seemed like he couldn't understand why. Of course she was probably just being silly and overanalyzing every little detail, but she still couldn't get that thought out of her head. She's just have to ask him about it when she saw him next.

But then she realized she had no idea when that would be.

Even though she now knew that he wasn't avoiding her, Sen still felt annoyed. It wasn't fair of him to say such wonderful things to her and make her feel like her body was on fire, only to be busy with Yubaba's errands for days on end afterwards. Obviously she realized that it was a little silly to be upset about that; even if they were in the human world, they both would presumably have jobs and not be able to spend every waking second together. But it still irritated her nonetheless.

All of a sudden she gasped, a harsh realization hitting her, "The human world!"

It didn't occur to her until now that she had completely abandoned her parents without so much as two words, let alone an explanation. But how was she to know that coming here would make her remember that this place felt like home? And how was she supposed to know that she would wilfully sign another contract with Yubaba that didn't allow her to leave? Her parents would undoubtedly find her car at the apartments where the Kohaku River used to be and assumed she'd been kidnapped or worse. Even if she managed to find some way to communicate with them, how could she ever explain where she was? What excuse could she give for never seeing them again that would be even remotely satisfactory?

Sen had no answers.

She stared at the floor for a long time, milling over different scenarios in her head. There had to be something she could tell them, somehow…

"Sen!" Rin called from the stairs, moments later bursting through the door. "Sen, come on! Grab your overshirt and let's go. Those jerks gave us the big tub again so it's gonna be a long day."

Snapping out of her reverie, Sen looked at the woman at the door confusedly, "I'm on attendant detail, remember? I have to take care of Haku's—"

Rin grabbed Sen's wrist and pulled her into a standing position, shoving her arms into the pink overshirt and tying it around her back for her, "Not today. Haku came and found me this morning when I was getting our food and he said that I need to stay with you all day. He specifically told me to not let you out of my sight, not for a minute."

The uneasiness in Rin's voice made her nervous, "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Her friend bit her lip, "I don't know. All Haku would tell me is that Yubaba was up to something and that he needed to go and see Zeniba right away. He said she was the only one who could help."

Sen's stomach did uncomfortable little flips as she followed Rin down the stairs to the main floor. Yubaba was up to something… something bad enough to send Haku to beg for help from Zeniba. From the little she actually knew about Haku, Sen could tell that he wasn't the type to ask for help if he thought he could handle something on his own. This meant that whatever Yubaba was doing, it scared Haku.

And that wasn't good.

The girls grabbed the heavy-duty cleaning supplies from their designated shelves, picked up a few herbal soak tokens from the foreman, and made their way to the big tub. As always, the entire area that encompassed the big tub was completely filthy and caked in grime.

Rin groaned, "Great. Just great. This will literally take us all day to clean. And this tub is the most popular, so that means we will have customers tonight too. Ugh."

Sen remained silent.

"I guess we should start…" When Rin turned and saw her face, she immediately dropped her supplies and gave Sen a hug. "Hey, it's alright. I wouldn't let Yubaba do anything to you, Sen. Neither would Haku or Zeniba. We'll all keep you safe."

"No."

Rin pulled away, eyeing Sen with surprise, "What?"

"I appreciate you all protecting me, I do," Sen brushed her off to rummage through the herbal soak tokens they had picked up. "But I'm not 10 anymore. I'm an adult now and I can take care of myself."

"But—"

She gripped an herbal token tightly, tears burning her eyes and thankful that she was facing away from Rin, "Yubaba wouldn't hesitate hurting anyone who got in her way of anything. If she wants to do something to me and you, or Haku, or Zeniba stand in her way, she will do everything in her power to destroy you all. I can't let that happen. Not because of me."

"Sen…"

"I don't know why Yubaba is planning something, I thought she would be happy that I came back. But really, the reason doesn't matter. No matter what she does, I will fight. She may own my name, but I _chose_ to come back here. I _chose_ this as my life and I will fight to protect it. When I was here the first time, I was young and she knew how to manipulate me by using my parents. But I won't let that happen again; I won't let her hurt anyone I love just to manipulate me. That's why I can't let you guys protect me like you want to. I need Yubaba to know that I may be human, but I'm not weak and I will stand up for myself. If I'm going to stay in this world, I have to be strong enough to handle it. And I am."

At first, Rin was speechless. It took a few moments, but she walked over to Sen and knelt down, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You're absolutely right, Sen. But you also gotta remember: we all lost you once and didn't think we'd ever see you again. Now that you're back, we just want to protect you. You love us, but we love you too. So don't get mad if we all step in to help you, okay?"

Sen couldn't help but smile knowing they all cared about her so much, "I'll try not to."

Rin grinned back, "Good. Now instead of worrying about things that may or may not happen, I think we should really focus on trying to get this place clean right now. Otherwise…" She glanced around the filthy room. "Anyone that comes in tonight will probably refuse to pay."

Thankful for something to distract her, Sen grabbed a good token and knocked her fist against the small door in the wall. When it opened, she attached the ribbon to the string that hung down and pulled lightly. The string and token disappeared and she closed the door.

"Hey Rin?"

"Yeah?" She looked up from digging through her cleaning supplies.

Sen could feel her mood lightening as the realization that these people really loved her hit her. She couldn't suppress an affectionate smile, "If the positions were switched… I'd do everything I could to protect all of you, too. Even if you didn't want me to."

Rin smiled widely, turning back to her supplies, "We know."

...

Haku was only outside Zeniba's door for a grand total of 4 seconds before it swung open and a warm voice drifted through it, "Well this is certainly a surprise. Why don't you change back and then come in for some tea?"

The dragon's form shivered and blurred once again as he shifted back into his spirit form. Once the last vestiges of his dragon form had receded, Haku tightened the purple sash around his waist and walked inside.

"No-Face, please close the door behind him," Zeniba said gently, taking a large kettle off the fire inside the hearth.

"Ah, ah," the spirit replied, using his black ethereal hands to push the thick wooden door closed.

Haku sat at the table as he always did when he made visits to Swamp Bottom and Zeniba poured him a cup of tea. "So Haku, what can I do for you? My sister isn't the type to send her spy twice in the same month and since Sen is back, I assumed you would be spending all your extra time with her. You must be here for something important."

He held her gaze, unintimidated, "I need your help."

The old woman chuckled, taking the chair opposite Haku, "Oh? How so?"

"Your sister used some sort of magic on Sen and now I can't bring back her memories of me. The trigger I placed was me kissing her, and that hasn't worked. I tried more than once."

Zeniba raised her eyebrows, "You speak so calmly, Haku. But if this were the only problem you needed my help with, your eyes would not be so desperate. What else is there?"

Haku frowned, furrowing his brow, "Yubaba's planning something else, but I don't know what. Whatever her plans are though, they are dependent on Sen not remembering me."

"Are you certain?"

He nodded, "I heard it from her own mouth."

Zeniba took a sip of her tea, "Normally, I wouldn't get involved in the affairs at the Bath House. That was the point of giving me the golden seal."

"Zeniba, please…"

She held up her hand to stop him, "I said normally I wouldn't get involved. However, I consider Sen to be like my daughter and I will not let anyone, not even my own sister, hurt her. I will help you, Haku, but first there is something you need to know. My physical body can't set foot inside the Bath House."

Knowing she would explain, Haku remained silent.

"Yubaba and I are of a very old, extraordinarily magical family. When my sister and I were young, our father expected great things from us as he well should have. But when Yubaba started showing more interest in money and wealth, he became concerned. After all, he expected us to carry on his magical legacy and keep his name highly regarded. How would it look if when he passed on his magic to his daughters, one of them squandered it for money? So instead of dividing his magic equally between us as was customary, when my father was ready to pass on his magic he created two objects: a golden seal and a Bath House. He allowed us to choose which one we wanted, knowing full well what we would pick before we did. Yubaba, unconcerned with the strength of her magic, chose the Bath House because it promised to make her very rich. I chose the seal because I saw the things my father could do with his magic and I wanted the same power. As I'm sure you can assume, my father put the majority of his magic into the golden seal; that's why it almost killed you when you stole it from me: it's much too powerful for you to handle. If Yubaba had gotten her hands on it, it would have killed her for the same reason. Believe it or not, you are actually naturally more powerful than Yubaba, but the small bit of magic my father put in the Bath House causes her to be the stronger one as long as she's in it. I can't enter the Bath House because I'm also not strong enough to handle all the power my father had. If I went in there, the small bit of magic he put in the Bath House would gravitate to my golden seal, leaving me with it all, and it would surely kill me. That's why I have to use my paper birds when I need to get into the Bath House," she paused, taking another sip of tea. "And as long as I have my golden seal, I can use magic through those paper birds because I have more of it than Yubaba. No matter what spell she casts or what type of magic she uses, I can almost always undo it."

Haku frowned again, "Almost?"

Zeniba nodded, "Of course, there are always exceptions. But you shouldn't worry about that too much. I know all of Yubaba's tricks and I highly doubt there is anything she could do that I wouldn't be able to fix."

"So assuming your magic will work, what's the first step?"

The mirror image of Yubaba flicked her wrist and a small paper bird appeared, floating in the palm of her hand, "First, you have to get me into that Bath House."

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you guys enjoyed the little background on Yubaba and Zeniba. Also, I thought it was important for Sen to finally realize that she isn't that weak little girl anymore who can be easily pushed around. While I think she's a little foolish in assuming that she can handle Yubaba's mysterious scheme on her own, I believe it was imperative for her to have that confidence in herself. Besides, we all know Haku and Rin wouldn't let her go up against Yubaba on her own. :) Now the question becomes: what exactly is Yubaba planning?**


	10. Chapter 10

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Sorry this took me so long, I have been busy with my college summer classes. :( But please enjoy!**

**...**

"Have a pleasant evening, sir," Sen bowed deeply.

After the last spirit handed her his money, she let out a huge sigh of relief. Just as Rin had predicted, countless spirits bombarded the big bath all night long, which meant that neither of the women got a single break. Not even for dinner.

Rin wiped a thin sheen of sweat off her forehead, "What a night."

Sen leaned against the wall across from the bath, "You can say that again. I'm starving."

"Me too. Let's finish draining the tub and then we can go get some food."

Just as they got to the lip of the tub, one of their roommates appeared at the door, "Sen, the foreman is asking for you."

Rin looked at Sen nervously, "I'm not supposed to leave you, remember?"

Sen smiled, unconcerned, "Rin, it's okay. Really; it's just the foreman. I'll meet you back in our room later, alright?"

The weasel spirit hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh of resignation, "I guess. Just be quick and careful, 'kay?"

"I will, I promise." With that, Sen dropped the rag she'd been holding and left.

The woman who had come to get her hadn't stayed to escort Sen to the foreman. Instead, Sen found herself completely alone as she made her way to the front of the building since everyone else was busy with cleaning their sections and closing up for the night. She should feel nervous being alone, especially since Haku felt it necessary to employ Rin as her babysitter. But she didn't feel nervous at all. Actually, Sen was finding it hard to feel anything except complete and total gratitude. For so long she had felt like she didn't belong in her world, but now that she was in the spirit world, it felt like fitting two pieces of a puzzle together. No matter how he found her, Sen was thankful that Aoegaeru did. Without him, she might not have ever made it back to her true home. She would have to find a way to thank him someday.

"Sen, is that you?" The foreman called from the end of the walk, which was still some distance away.

Whatever he needed must have been important if he was actively watching for her. Sen sprinted the rest of the way, her bare feet thudding softly against the shiny wooden floor. When she reached the high desk, she had to catch her breath. "Sorry, foreman…" She huffed. "Is everything… okay?"

He shifted uncomfortably, eyeing a small piece of parchment on which he had scribbled something sloppily, "Yubaba wants to see you. Immediately."

Sen's eyes grew wide, "Now? But it's so late… did she say why?"

The foreman shook his head, "No. But if I were you, I wouldn't keep her waiting. It must be important if she's summoning you at this hour."

For the first time, she felt uneasy. Haku wasn't here, he was visiting Zeniba, and Rin had to finish draining the big tub. Earlier today, Sen had been confident that no matter what Yubaba was planning, she could handle it on her own. Now that she had to go see Yubaba on her own, at a time when neither Haku nor Rin would be able to help her, she wasn't so sure.

Knowing it would only be worse for her if she kept Yubaba waiting, Sen ran as fast as she could to the elevators and threw the lever roughly once she was inside. As the elevator ascended, she could feel her pulse quicken and her muscles tighten. What could Yubaba possibly want from her this late? Did she intentionally wait to summon her until Haku and Rin were unavailable? A myriad of increasingly pessimistic questions swirled around her brain as the elevator quietly brought her closer and closer to the 'Heaven' floor that the witch inhabited. When she was only 3 floors away, she managed to convince herself that Yubaba wouldn't do anything to harm her; after all, the witch had once told everyone in the Bath House that they could learn from Sen. When she was only 2 floors away, she started to hyperventilate; Yubaba had never hesitated to punish anyone for anything, justified or not, so surely she wouldn't spare Sen. When she was only 1 floor away, she succeeded in putting a tight lid on her fear; no matter what Yubaba tried to do to her, this place was her home and Sen would fight to stay.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open inaudibly.

Sen took a few deep, calming breaths before stepping out and making her way down the hall to the large double doors that were adorned with the ugly, obnoxious doorknocker. Even though the doorknocker was clearly sound asleep and snoring, she grabbed it and pounded on the door three times anyway. After all, the doorknocker had never been courteous to her.

"Agh!" The ugly gold head shouted from her palm. "You little brat. Didn't you see I was _sleeping_?"

Accustomed to the rudeness, she simply said, "Yubaba called for me."

There was a long moment of the doorknocker grumbling obscenities under it's breath before swinging the door open, "Don't make any noise on your way out, girl. I'm _tired_."

Remembering the way, since she had been dragged by magic twice now, Sen quickly made her way through the 5 ornate, red-bordered sets of double doors that led directly to Yubaba's office. When she stepped through the last set of doors, she could see the witch writing something at her desk before looking up.

"Ah, there you are Sen. I called for you half an hour ago."

Sen bowed deeply, trying to keep a lid on her fears, "I'm sorry ma'am. Rin and I were cleaning; I came as fast as I could."

"Yes, yes," Yubaba waved her hand casually as she got up from the desk. "But now that you're here, I need you to do something for me."

She was a little surprised, "Oh…okay. What do you need?"

The witch glided across the room, hovering at least 6 inches off the floor, and landed on the carpet in front of her with a soft _thud_. A small envelope floated above her open palm, "I need you to deliver this to Haku."

It was such a simple, menial task that Sen couldn't help but frown, "That's it?"

Yubaba let out one of her hoarse cackles, "Of course. What did you think I called you here for?"

"I…" She hesitated before taking the envelope. "Okay. Uhm, why do you need me to take this to him? Couldn't you just call him to your office and give it to him yourself?"

The witch raised one thin blond eyebrow, "Not that it's any of your business, but after you left last time, Haku quit being my apprentice. He hardly ever comes when I summon him now unless he knows it's important. If I wasted my breath to summon him now, he wouldn't come. Although I believe the contents of that envelope are of the utmost importance, there is not telling if he would feel the same."

Sen turned the small envelope over in her hand, noticing the red, waxy stamp keeping it sealed on the back.

"Before you go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Yubaba began as she made her way back to her desk, "just be aware that I will know if anyone but Haku opens it. So I wouldn't temp fate if I were you." She sat back in her plush chair and yawned, flicking her fingers toward her bun. Whatever was keeping the bun atop her head disappeared and the blond, tendril-like hair fell around the witch's face. "Go already."

Just as Sen was turning to leave, something occurred to her, "Ma'am? What if Haku isn't in his room? I don't think anyone has seen him all day." Of course they hadn't, he'd been in Swamp Bottom. But she wasn't sure if Yubaba knew that.

Yubaba rolled her eyes, "Then just leave it in his room somewhere he'll see it. Do I really have to spell everything out for you?"

She was getting ready to explain that she had only asked because Yubaba said the envelope was important, but decided against it. What good would arguing semantics do anyway? Instead, Sen bowed quickly and left the office. She was just grateful that all of her paranoid worrying had been for nothing.

When all 5 sets of doors had closed, Yubaba smiled, running her fingers across the small jeweled box, "So it begins."

...

Sen stood outside the shoji screens, her heart hammering painfully in her chest. Under the dim lamplight, the silver nameplate with 'Master Haku' in elegant kanji gleamed majestically. She knew he wasn't inside, she knew he was most likely still in Swamp Bottom. Even if he was on his way back, it was not a short trip. Despite knowing all of this, her heart still desperately tried to escape from her chest. Not that it didn't always do that when she was around him… or thought of him… or kissed him. Whenever it came to Haku, her heart did all sorts of new and interesting things.

Knowing she needed to hurry so she could get some sleep, Sen slid the screen quietly and slipped inside the dark room. None of the lamps were lit, only moonlight streamed through the open shojis that led to the balcony. Since Rin hadn't let her come up here to straighten up in the morning, his room was still pretty messy. The usual pile of papers were strewn chaotically about the table and his kakebuton was in a heap at the bottom of the shikibuton. She blushed when she noticed a pair of blue pants and a white kimono top on the floor next to his bed. Usually he undressed in the bathroom, but after spending the evening with her at the pigpens, he had undressed right next to his bed… in front of the balcony… bathed in moonlight…

Sen's spreading blush brought her back to reality. She cleared her throat, trying to banish the previous thoughts from her mind. If she ever consciously thought of him in that state, there's no doubt she would never be able to speak to him coherently again. Then she remembered the envelope. Sen was looking around the room for a decent place to leave it when she noticed that someone had brought the tray with Haku's dinner on it and left it on the small chestnut table to the left of the door. Since there wasn't really anywhere else Haku might notice it, Sen placed the envelope on the other chestnut table to the right of the door. She was turning to leave when she let out a long yawn. It had been an awfully long day, there was a shikibuton just across the room, and her bed seemed so very far away…

"It's not like he will be back anytime soon," Sen justified to herself. "And his bed is already a mess. If I get up a little earlier in the morning, I can make it down to our room before Rin wakes up."

When she made it to Haku's bed, her legs seemed to give out on their own. They had worked hard today and she was just so _tired_. Sen slipped the shiny purple hair-band from her ponytail and her thick chocolate hair fanned out across the makuras. She managed to pull the kakebuton up to her chest before sighing contentedly; his bed was ridiculously comfortable. But the best part was that everything smelled like him: the blanket, the pillows, the mattress. No matter how she lay, all she could smell was the rich, crisp, masculine scent of Haku. It made her head spin and her skin flush. Sen knew this was inappropriate, it was much too intimate to be in his bed like this, especially without permission; after all this was where he slept, where his bare skin caressed the gold kakebuton like a lover…

Sen sighed contentedly and quickly descended into sleep.

...

_ The water was warm today; warmer than it had ever been. The pleasant temperature of the river put her more at peace than usual as she floated gently under the sunlight that penetrated the waves. There was something she wanted to ask the river, but now she just couldn't remember what it was…_

_ "I've missed you," the river purred, sending the all-too-familiar invisible hands to rumple her hair._

_ She smiled, eyes closed and face titled towards the surface, "I nev'r shoulda left," but the words sounded all wrong, like her mouth was full of molasses and her tongue couldn't move properly. The way her words tumbled out of her mouth made her giggle._

_ The river stilled instantly, "What's the matter?"_

_ Her smile quickly faded as she took in the question. She felt fine, better than fine actually. There was a pleasant tingling emanating from the ends of her limbs that reminded her of the few times in her life when she'd had too much alcohol and her whole body just felt lighter, more airy. Her thoughts seemed to swim drunkenly around in her head, just out of reach. Sure, she was struggling a bit to focus completely on just one thought, but that didn't really surprise her. She seemed to remember that not long ago, she had felt completely exhausted. This was probably just her body's way of trying to recuperate._

_ "I feel amazin'," she replied, slurring once again. "Like I had too much sake."_

_ The invisible fingers were tracing her features now, as if they were trying to discern something from them, "Have you?"_

_ She thought for a moment, momentarily distracted by how wonderful the river's 'hands' felt on her face, "Don't think so… we were w'rking all night on the big tub."_

_ "Are you positive? You didn't have any drinks with Rin after closing?"_

_ She reached to touch the 'fingers' that were on her face but then sighed with disappointment, "Why can't I ev'r see you? I wanna know what you look like."_

_ There was a long pause, "You have seen me."_

_ "No," she shook her head, hair billowing around her face. "I'd r'member."_

_ The river chuckled, but there was only a small trace of actual humor in its voice, "I promise you, Chihiro. You know what I look like."_

_ She sighed again, "I love when you say my name."_

_ The river didn't respond. Instead, she could feel the invisible hands caress her face or take her pulse or do some other odd, probing thing every few seconds. She felt like a science experiment but she was too… not herself to care._

_ "Y'know something? Haku r'minds me of you. I think maybe that's why I like him. I think I love him and you… isn't that funny? But you're just water. Just water. Not a person. How can I love water? Does that mean I'm crazy? Because I love some water?" Her words, though seemingly inebriated, still came from sober thoughts. Sober thoughts that she had been too afraid to give voice to until now._

_ The river swirled around her, trying to give her some measure of comfort, "Chihiro…"_

_ She closed her eyes and tried to push away the swirling water, "It doesn't matter. I don't care. Guess I'll just be crazy then."_

_ Her eyes remained closed for what seemed like a long time as she tried to understand all of the things she felt. There was a deep, smoldering love in her heart for the river, but also an eerily similar feeling for Haku. She tried desperately to analyze these feelings, to figure out what exactly she was supposed to do about it, but her drunken brain refused to let her focus. Instead, the only thing she was able to focus on was the light, pleasant buzzing going on in her body._

_ "Chihiro," the river whispered, "open your eyes. See me."_

_ Never wanting to deny the river anything, she opened them._

_ And gasped at what she saw._

_ Floating in front of her was Master Haku, in all of his kimono-clad, turquoise-haired glory. She reached out, convinced he was an illusion conjured by her mysterious intoxication, and was shocked when her fingertips met smooth, silky skin. "H… Haku?" She managed._

_ He smiled, catching her hands on his face, "Hello, Chihiro."_

_ All shyness washed away by her current 'condition', she wrapped her arms around his neck exuberantly, "Haku! I can't b'lieve it's you!"_

_ He held her to him, his well-toned arms winding around her waist, "It has always been me."_

_ Her head was swimming, trying urgently to grasp what this meant. The strange drunkenness she felt seemed to confuse her yet clear her mind at the same time, like an old veil of fog was being lifted while a new one attempted to take over._

_ "I thought…" Her tongue still felt heavy. "I thought you f'rgot about me."_

_ "What?"_

_ "I didn't see you for 13 y'rs… I thought you didn't want me 'nymore."_

_ He pulled away quickly so he could look at her; his face was stunned, "What?" He repeated, disbelieving._

_ She touched his cheek gingerly with her fingertips, "I know I w's young. But I loved you. And you pr'mised that we'd see e'chother again." Impossible as it seemed, tears started to form in her eyes. "But I didn't see you for 13 y'rs. Why didn't you come?"_

_ "You…" He struggled to get the words out. "You _remember_?"_

_ "Mmmhm," she looked down sadly. "Why'd you make me forget?"_

_ His exquisite jade eyes were tortured when she finally met his gaze again, "I was trying to protect you. I thought that if you came back, Yubaba would… I thought it was best if… I thought you might forget that…" He stopped, his expression becoming pained as he cupped her face. "I missed you every single moment you were away from me. How could you ever think I wouldn't want you anymore? I just never knew how much you were hurting; if I had, I would have come for you immediately, consequences be damned. I thought I was doing what was best for you. Please, Chihiro. Please forgive me. Forgive my ignorance. As much as it hurt, I thought you would forget me someday and move on. I wanted you to have a normal life, as if you had never come here. I truly had no idea how much damage I was doing."_

_ Though she still felt drunk, it was a little easier to speak now, as if his words had sobered her up a little, "There would never be anyone else, Haku. There's only you."_

_ He crushed her to his chest, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry," he pleaded. "I am so sorry, Chihiro."_

_ She felt herself melt into him, her bones liquefying. Now that she remembered him, remembered their past, she understood why she'd been feeling so many confusing things. Her heart had never really forgotten him; it refused to let him go. She pulled away softly and pressed her fingertips to his chin so he would stop._

_ It was clear that this frightened him. "You cannot forgive me," he surmised, heartbreak slowly invading his stunning features._

_ She looked into his regal jade eyes without faltering, "There's nothing to forgive. Don't you understand? I love you, Haku. I always have."_

_ His eyes softened, "Chihiro, I—"_

_ "Just promise me one thing," she interrupted, bringing herself closer to his lips._

_ "Anything," he murmured, his mouth only centimeters from hers._

_ Her fingers knotted in his untied mass of turquoise hair that billowed around him, "Promise me that no matter what, you'll never make me forget again. I don't care what Yubaba does, I never want to forget you."_

_ He rubbed her nose with his as he wrapped a strong hand around the back of her neck, "I swear. And I _will_ keep you safe from her. No matter the cost."_

_ There was a moment of hesitation now, where her body felt so alive that she could sense everything; the delicate sounds of the river they were suspended in, the warmth of the sunlight piercing the surface and caressing her skin, the deep green of his eyes flecked with gold, the rich, clean taste of the water on her lips, the earthy, crisp scent of his skin…_

_ And then, he kissed her. _

_Her lips parted and she sighed deeply, drinking in the scent of him until it mingled with her bones and became a part of her. His tongue explored her mouth, cautiously at first but gaining confidence as she encouraged him. She groaned, reveling in the strong, almost peppermint-like taste of him on her tongue. When he had kissed her before she remembered, it had been amazing. This was earth-shattering. Every part of her mind and body recognized him and she melded with him effortlessly. If there was any doubt in her mind about the things she remembered, they were gone now. _

_This was Kohaku. _Her_ Kohaku. And he was undoubtedly her 'forever'. _

_When he finally released her, his eyes were bright yet tender at the same time, "I love you, Chihiro. I am so glad you found your way back to me."_

_The mysterious tingling in her limbs receded. _

_..._

When Sen awoke, it was still dark out and the moon, although not in the same position, still shone through the half-opened shojis. She rubbed her eyes, more than a little confused. Why was she in Haku's room… in Haku's bed? Had she accidentally fallen asleep here? She sat up, looking around the messy room in an attempt to remember.

All she could remember was her dream.

She thought for a moment; while it was like all of her others about the river, this one felt different. It felt real. That would mean Haku was the river that had come to her in her sleep for 13 years; it would also mean that the things she was remembering about Haku were real, too. If her dream was real and not just a dream, that would mean that she had loved Haku for a very, very long time.

And that made a lot of sense.

She pushed back the kakebuton, readying herself to get up and return to her own room before she was caught here when, to her horror, she heard the distinctive sound of a shoji screen sliding open to her left.

"Sen?" That unmistakable voice asked, surprised. "What are you doing here so late?"

Sen blushed furiously, hurrying to remove herself from his bed, "I'm so sorry! I must have fallen asleep here by mistake. I had such a long day and I was just so tired…"

Haku walked over to her and to her relief, he was smiling, "It's alright. You just made me worry. I thought something was wrong and you came here to wait for me."

"No," she shook her head. "I think… I think I had to deliver something to you, but I can't remember what it was."

He looked around for a moment, "If I'm not mistaken, that looks like an envelope from Yubaba next to the door. Could that be it?"

Sen though hard for a moment, "I really don't remember. It might be though."

There was a long, awkward silence as he just continued to smile at her. It was odd because even when she had first came back to the spirit world, there had been absolutely no awkwardness between them. This felt strange and it unnerved her.

"Uhm, I should go. Rin is probably wondering where I am…" She began to make her way to the door.

He grabbed her arm, much more roughly than usual, "Please, stay." He said, his voice low and frighteningly unfamiliar. "I missed you today."

Something in Haku's eyes set the alarm bells off in her head. His usually calm jade eyes were now hard, glassy and full of malice. She tried to tug her arm away from him, but his grip was much too strong. He tightened his hold on her, making her wince.

"Haku, you're hurting me," Sen snapped, her temper flaring. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to let me go."

He smiled again, but this time it was a dark, sinister thing, "What's the matter, Sen? I thought you liked me."

It was at that moment that the difference registered in her mind; this was not the Haku she knew. This was something masquerading as Haku.

"Let. Me. Go." She bit out each word harshly. "Now."

The thing that was not Haku let his façade drop now and he gripped both of her arms violently, "I don't think so."

Sen struggled as hard as she could to get free, but it didn't matter. This thing was much stronger than her and it didn't have a problem using force. And it didn't care if it hurt her.

"Now, now Sen, there's no need for all that," the strange voice purred from Haku's mouth. "All I want is to kiss you."

She could feel the bile rising in her throat as the thing that was not Haku leaned in closer. It even smelled wrong; like ashes and brimstone. Sen attempted to turn her head, to press her lips together in a hard line to stop the kiss, but again, none of it mattered. The thing held her in her place with one hand and used the other to grip her jaw so tightly that she didn't dare move again. It then paused before crushing its lips to hers painfully.

Sen tried to shake her head, tried to scream or say _anything_, but the thing wouldn't release its hold on her mouth. With horror, she realized that something was seeping from the thing's lips into her mouth and she couldn't spit it out. It tasted foul, evil as it invaded her. Whatever it was, it was cold, thick, and slimy. Like some kind of gastropod. Her horror increased exponentially when she felt it wriggle down her throat. Once she had unwillingly swallowed it, the thing that was not Haku let her go.

"Now," it commanded, "go back to your room."

Without a single word, Sen did as she was told. Even though she had wanted to run from the thing, this was different. This was something she couldn't control.

...

The dragon-form of Haku landed on the balcony just in time to see three fat, green heads bouncing out of his bedroom door.

That couldn't be good.

...

...

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please leave reviews and let me know what you think! Things are starting to happen!**


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